Never too late
by Doctor Rose Belikova
Summary: Dimitri is sent to the academy to train a pregnant Rose. As they train, he learns that there is more to her and the baby than there seems. Will Rose open up to him, or will she simply hurt herself once again? Title: Never Too Late by Three Days Grace
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic. I have read so many of them on this website, and figured, why not? It's about time I tried it. OK, so that you understand the story: Rose and Lissa ran away, but only for 1 year; they were caught at 16. Rose's mom and her have an okay relationship, so after junior year, Rose goes to visit her mom, and her mom's charge. Her mom's charge raped her and got her pregnant_

_Dimitri was called to train her when she came to school pregnant. Right now, she's about 2 months along. It's set in the beginning of September, about a month after school starts. She knows who her father is, btw. Ivan never died. Her and Lissa still have the bond. Her mom knows what happened. Ok, I'll let you read the story now. (:_

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the wonderful Richelle Mead does.

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><p><strong><strong>DPOV:

I sighed as the plane landed in my new school. I had been asked to train a pregnant novice, by the novice's mother nonetheless. Janine Hathaway was a force to be reckoned with. I was slightly astonished when she came up to me one day a week ago and asked me to train her daughter. I thought back to the day.

_Janine Hathaway came marching up to me like an avenging demon. Ivan and I had been visiting court, and he had told me to go relax, and explore a bit, while he visited some relatives._

_"Guardian Belikov," she said, looking up at me with a determined face._

_"Guardian Hathaway," I acknowledged her with a nod._

_"I would like to ask you a favor," she said, not beating around the bush._

_My eyebrow rose before I should stop it. "Oh? And what would that be?" I asked, doing my best to sound polite._

_"I would like you to train my daughter, Rosemarie. She has recently fallen pregnant, but still wishes to continue training so she can protect herself, and her baby, and so that when she has her baby, she can go back and graduate, and not be so far behind." She said all this in one breath._

_I looked at her, astonished. I was honestly speechless. "You want me to train your pregnant daughter, so that she can go back after having a baby, and graduate?" I asked, just to be sure._

_She gave an affirmative nod. "That would be correct. This would also most likely cause you to be Vasilisa Dragomir's guardian, a great honor."_

_I was now even more confused. "How would training Rosemarie allow me to become the last Dragomir's guardian?"_

_Hathaway sighed. "It is generally believed that Rose will become Vasilisa's guardian once she graduates due to the fact that they are bonded. So if you were to train Rose, you would have a great chance at becoming her guardian for the simple fact that you would get to know Rose, and be able to work with her. Plus, you are one of the greatest guardians out there. And your age is close to Vasilisa's, so it would be deemed almost prudent that you become her guardian, as you will be on campus anyway."_

_I had never in my life heard such a long speech from Janine Hathaway. It was clear that she had thought it all through. But I had other concerns too._

_"What about my charge?" I asked. I didn't want to leave Ivan. He was a good friend, unlike most Royals._

_Hathaway gave a nod. "All taken care of. I would become his guardian in your stead."_

_I was shocked once again. "But-but...then why don't you train Rose?" Wouldn't it make more sense for her mother to train her, as opposed to a stranger who knew nothing about her?_

_Hathaway's face fell. "Well," she began uncomfortably, "we don't really have the best of relationships, and in the light of recent events...well, it clearly showed I would be the worst person to train her." She looked away uncomfortably._

_I studied her closely. She appeared slightly upset, and it made me wonder what had happened. Was it because Rose got pregnant? Did Janine freak out, hurting Rose in the process? That seemed the most likely reason, unless Janine was part of the reason as to why Rose was pregnant. But that was just ridiculous._

_I sighed. "When would I have to start?"_

_Janine's face lit up. "Well, the school year has already started, so as soon as possible. Within the week."_

_I shook my head, hoping I wasn't going to regret this._

And that is how I found myself on a plane, landing in St. Vladimir's Academy, with a new charge, and a completely new job.

If only I knew what I was getting myself into.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Wow, I never expected such a positive reaction to this story! I'm ecstatic that so many people like it. I wasn't going to update it today, but because of such positive feedback, I shall (: Rose is 2 months along, and not showing yet, btw._

_Thank you to all the people who reviewed; krazygurl54321, lastsacrifice, hollsbolls123, and j macphail: I'm glad you like the idea, and I'll do my best to update on the daily basis._

_This isn't my best chapter, but I needed one to kind of set the setting and let you know about others' views on Rose and her pregnancy, and all that good stuff. I'll do my best to lengthen the chapters, but they're gonna be really short in the beginning._

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does, no matter how much I want to have my very own Dimitri. :(

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><p>DPOV:<p>

I got off the plane, grabbing my stuff. As I walked toward the buildings of the school, without the slightest idea as to where I was going, I was met by an older female guardian.

"Alberta Petrov, head guardian," she introduced herself, a no nonsense air about her. "You must be Dimitri Belikov, the Princess's new guardian and Rose's mentor."

She certainly gets right down to the point. I thought to myself. I gave a single nod, confirming her words.

She stuck her hand out. "Welcome to the team," she said, a slight smirk on her lips, so small it was barely there.

I shook her hand. "Glad to be here," I said formally.

She spun around and began heading toward the school grounds with me following her. As we passed the buildings, she let me know what was what.

"That's the Moroi dorms, that's the feeder building, those are the academic buildings..." She continued on this way until we reached the administrative building. She paused in front of a door to what I assumed was the Headmistress's office.

Petrov knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from the other side.

Petrov opened the door into, as I had assumed, an office. Sitting behind the desk was an older Moroi woman, looking severe. She didn't appear to be the kind of person who you would cross lightly. She looked up when the door opened, and Petrov and I walked in.

"Ah, Guardian Belikov, I presume?" she said, standing up.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am," I answered politely.

"Ellen Kirova, I'm the Headmistress," she said with a nod of acknowledgment. "So you are the Princess's new guardian?" she continued, looking at me sharply.

I nodded again.

"And Rosemarie's mentor," Petrov broke in, looking at Kirova meaningfully.

Kirova sighed. "I don't understand why we are bothering with her, honestly," she said, sounding faintly annoyed.

Petrov's lips tightened minutely. "We are bothering with her because her mother and father requested it. She is a very good novice, and has a promising future. Plus, you know the Princess wouldn't have it any other way."

By the sound of her voice, and how weary she seemed, I got the feeling that this wasn't the first conversation they have had about it. Which made me wonder, who was her father? And why did the Princess want a pregnant guardian, when she could have anyone she wanted? Which also brought me to the question, what did Rose do to make Kirova have that undercurrent of intense dislike in her voice?

Kirova's voice interrupted my train of thought. "Alright, I'm sure that Guardian Petrov can give you your schedule, and anything else you may need."

That was a dismissal if I ever heard one. With a last nod, both Guardian Petrov and I left the room.

She sighed as she stood in the corridor for a minute.

"Alright Belikov, let's see about your schedule and room arrangement. Now, I heard from Janine that you have experience with pregnant women?" She looked at me for a confirmation.

I nodded, thinking of two of my sisters, who had, or are having, a baby right now. I had helped Karolina through both of her pregnancies as much as possible, the most recent being only a few months ago, while Sonya had just gotten pregnant, and was not dealing with it well. She's had the worst mood swings out of both Karo and Mama, or what I could remember of Mama's pregnancy with my little sister Viktoria.

I shook off thoughts of my family, and homesickness. It had been almost 4 months since I talked to them last. I would have to fix that soon.

We stopped in front of another door, and it took me a moment to realize that we had been walking the entire time I was thinking. Careless for a guardian, especially a guardian who was to guard the last Dragomir.

We stepped into her office, and Petrov walked behind the desk, look for something.

"Ah! Here it is. This is your schedule. You'll train Rose in the morning before class, and then in the afternoon, after classes. Since Rose can't participate in hand to hand combat classes, but still goes to them, I would like for you to take those over, and teach her, instead of her just sitting there, turning green with envy, and red with anger because she can't do anything. Rose isn't one for sitting out and letting others do things for her. So I believe that it would benefit all of us if you keep her busy during those classes. Now, Rose shares almost all of her afternoon classes with Vasilisa, so I would like you to watch over the class that they have separate, which is Calculus. Other than that, if you could do the occasional round around the school, you should be okay. Now, you may think that I'm not giving you a lot to do, but trust me, you'll need all the down time you can get after mentoring Rose. That girl is a bit of a handful." Petrov smiled fondly for a moment.

"Now, Rose is an amazing young lady," she continued, looking at me seriously. "Although we may not show it, most of the guardians here have watched Rose grow up from a feisty 4 year old who was simply dropped off at the academy, to the fierce young woman she is today, and we love her. Take care of her, Belikov, and don't give up on her. She's been hurt her whole life. She's used to people giving up on her. Don't let her attitude, and any rumor about her, dissuade you. On the inside, her heart is golden. She's just prickly because she's trying to protect her heart. It wasn't until the car accident in which Rose almost died, that her mother even acknowledge the fact that she was alive in the first place. They started to repair their relationship, then her and Vasilisa ran away, and were brought back, and now the whole fiasco with the pregnancy...well it's put a great strain on her. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. Well, I'm just trying to let you see that Rose deserves a chance just like anybody else. Don't let her down." Petrov finished her speech with a great sigh, and look at me, seeming worn out.

I thought about her words for a moment. I had heard some things about Rose, actually. The few people who knew her seemed to immensely dislike her due to some harm she had done to them. She was also rumored to be a whore, a blood whore to be exact. But in that moment, I decided that I wouldn't let any rumor I heard tarnish my impression until I got to truly know her.

I nodded slowly as I came to with this conclusion. "I see what you mean. But if you don't mind me asking...who is the father of Rosemarie's baby?" I asked.

Petrov smirked at that. "If you have any hope of having children in the future, or avoiding broken bones, I would advise you to not call her Rosemarie, first of all. And second, how about you tell me who the father is once you find out, so I can kill the bastard."

I looked at her with surprise. "You don't know?"

Petrov shook her head and stood up. "No, and I'm not going to pry. If she wants to tell me, then she will. I can tell there is more to the story than it appears. However she got pregnant, the bastard hurt her. And that I will not tolerate it. Now let me show you your room. I'm sure you're tired from a day of traveling."

With that, she walked out, me trailing behind her. I was tired and a bit jet lagged. It was going on 24 hours since I last slept. Ivan had been very sad to see me go, so he threw me a mini going away party, after which I had to rush to my plane.

I followed Petrov to the guardian building, and up the stairs to my room. She paused in front of the door, giving me a key.

"Take care of her Belikov," she said meaningfully, then turned around and walked away, leaving me to unpack, take a shower, and go to sleep, preparing for a long day tomorrow.

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><p><strong><strong>_A/N: I was hoping to put some lemons/limes and all that good stuff in this story, but I can't even begin to consider writing one. So if you could, please PM lemons/limes, and I'll try to fit it somewhere in the story. Thank you! (: I'm also looking for a Beta, if anyone would like to be my beta feel free to PM me._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.

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><p>DPOV:<p>

The next morning found me in the gym 45 minutes before lessons began, waiting for Rose to show up. While I waited, I read one of my favorite western novels.

A good half hour passed before I heard the sound of the gym door opening.

In came a female dhampir. She had long dark hair, which looked almost black in the lighting. I could tell she was much shorter than me, perhaps 5' 6, or 5' 7, a midget compared to my 6' 7 frame. She was very curvy, and her eyes were startlingly large and dark. She was wearing workout clothes consisting of black sweatpants and a red tank top, with a sweatshirt over it.

"Rose?" I hazarded a guess.

She took one look at me, and turned around. She walked out, slamming the gym door behind her.

I sat there, stunned. I had heard many things about Rose, a lot of very suggestive things. I had heard guys describe her like she was a piece of meat. What I wasn't expecting was how beautiful she truly was. I didn't understand her reaction, though. I realized I was just sitting there, and stood up from my seat, quickly going after her.

By the time I had come out of the gym, it appeared as if she was half way across campus. I followed her, trying to catch up. It was surprisingly difficult, due to the fact that she had a major head start, and she was fast! The added fact that I didn't know where we were going didn't help, either.

She swiftly made her way toward the administration building. I continued following her, mystified. I had gathered that she didn't like the school, and avoided the administration building like the plague. So why was she going toward it willingly?

Rose went inside, with me hot on her heels. She made a beeline to Guardian Petrov's office, barged in without knocking, and collapsed in a chair. I walked in calmly, and stood against the wall by the now closed door, observing silently.

"What the hell, Alberta?" she exclaimed, looking outraged.

I was surprised by the lack of title, but something told me it was the norm with Rose.

Petrov looked up, raising an eyebrow. Rose scowled.

"What seems to be the problem?" Petrov asked calmly. I was even more surprised that she didn't reprimand Rose for her rudeness, but once again, something told me that that wouldn't stop Rose.

"Why is he," she jabbed a finger in my direction, "my mentor?"

The other eyebrow now joined the first one on Petrov's face. "I see no problem."

Rose buried her face in her hands, mumbling her words so that I had to strain to hear them. She clearly meant for me to not hear.

"He can't be my mentor," she mumbling, her words barely coherent from where I was standing.

Petrov looked at her with a slightly concerned face. "Why Rose?"

Here, Rose mumbled so low that I couldn't hear all of it. The only words that I caught were, "comfortable," "man," and "pregnant." It didn't make any sense to me. I was completely lost, and it frustrated me. I had the oddest need to keep her safe. I looked at her as she sat, bowed down, and felt another shock course through me. From the way Petrov, her mother, even Kirova, talked about her, I had expected a fierce warrior, not this obviously broken teenage girl.

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><p>RPOV<em>: (yay! Now we get to hear from the star herself)<em>

I woke up this morning to the annoying beeping of my alarm clock. I opened my eyes, blearily looking at the clock. Why am I waking up at 5am? I thought hazily. I smacked my alarm clock until it shut off, then closed my eyes contently. But the reason why I was waking up this early kept nagging me, not allowing me to fall back asleep. It finally dawned on me that I had my first training session today with my new mentor. All Alberta had said was to be in the gym at 6 am. I groaned as I remembered this. God I hoped that my mentor was a girl. I don't know how I would handle having a guy so recently after -

I stopped the thought._ No! Don't go there!_ I had been okay with guys in my classes, but that was mainly because they weren't really near me. And since I was pregnant, most guys stayed away from me; the ones who didn't answered to Eddie or Mason, two of my best dhampir friends, who had long since learned not to get too close and instead became overly protective.

I sighed, getting up and leaving the warm comfort and safety of my bed. As I got dressed, something felt off. It wasn't until I was in the bathroom that I realized what was different; for once, I wasn't waking up to morning sickness! At first, I thought that it was over, but then reality came crashing down, making me realize that I wasn't puking because it was too early for my body to even register that it was morning. I wouldn't go through morning sickness until 7ish. I sighed again as my hopes were dashed.

I made my way down to the gym, recognizing the fact that for the first time in a long time I was going to be on time. I couldn't help but snort at the thought. Go figure, the one time I'm not late is because of a baby I didn't want in the first place, and wasn't even sure I wanted now. No, scratch that. I didn't want the baby, not now, not when I found out, not ever. All it did was remind me of what happened, something I wanted to bury deep down forever. But I just couldn't find it in myself to kill it. It was taking an innocent life, something I was not at all comfortable with. At least it's one more guardian for some spoiled, rich Moroi who thinks they can have everything they want and get away with taking it, I thought bitterly. As usual, I felt a pang of loss for not being able to give the gift of my virginity to a man I loved. But, the past is the past. Can't change anything. After all this, I somehow doubted that I would ever find a man I could love, whether I could give him my virginity or not.

I shook off the thoughts as I entered the gym, looking around. I spotted a dhampir sitting in a chair, a book in his hand that he had obviously been reading.

"Rose?" he asked. I took one look at him, then turned around and walked out, slamming the door. I speed walked across campus, trying to get away from him. I needed to talk to Alberta. There was no way she could make him my mentor. The last man to touch me, or even get close enough to touching me had sent me into a panic attack so severe I had passed out. Having a male mentor, touching me, and getting near me on the daily basis made my skin crawl and my breathing speed up just at the thought.

I heard footsteps behind me, and knew that he was trying to catch up. I sped up slightly, making a beeline for Alberta's office. I barged in, the thought of knocking not even crossing my mind. I collapsed on the chair in front of her desk. HE came in, shutting the door behind him. Only two things kept me from having a major melt down at that very moment: 1) HE stayed by the door and didn't get any closer, and 2) Alberta was right there, and I knew that no harm would come to me while she was here.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, outraged.

Alberta simply raised an eyebrow, something I have never been able to achieve. I scowled, feeling like she was throwing that ability in my face.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked calmly, too calmly.

"Why is HE," I pointed toward HIM, "my mentor?"

"I see no problem." The other eyebrow join the first.

I buried my face in my hands, ashamed of my weakness. My words came out muffled, and I hoped HE couldn't understand what I was saying. "He can't be my mentor."

"Why Rose?" I could hear the concern in Alberta's voice, and that just made me feel worse.

This time I lowered my voice so that Alberta had to strain her ears to hear me, assuring me that HE couldn't hear me. "I'm not comfortable around men," I mumbled. "It – it has to do with my – my pregnancy." I peeked at her from between my fingers.

Her expression was thoughtful.

"Hmm..." she hummed. She looked as if several things had fallen into place in her mind. "Well, Rose," she continued after some thought, leaning towards me so that HE couldn't hear her low voice. "How about this: you let him train you, but I'll let him know to keep contact to a minimum. You can use dummies for demonstrations, and maybe you'll get used to him after a while and be more comfortable. It will also help get used to men in general so that you don't have another panic attack, like last time."

Alberta looked at me hopefully. She must have read the hesitance in my face, however, because she continued. "He's a very good guardian, Rose, one of the best for how young he is. He can teach you a lot, and he can help you with your pregnancy; he has experience through family, or friends, or so I assume. And if you don't feel comfortable within the next month, or don't believe it's going to work, let me know and we'll try something different. Besides, you might as well get used to him because he is going to be your guarding partner when you're guarding the Princess. He's been assigned to her."

I thought about it for a few moments. She made good points. From the brief look I'd gotten, he was certainly hot. And I needed to get used to him if he was going to be Lissa's guardian. And I did need to get used to guys again. I sighed at the logic. I didn't like logic.

I turned around, looking at him. I studied him for several moments. He was tall, way taller than me, with a duster encircling his body. His brown hair was tied back, but strands were escaping, framing his face. His eyes were beautiful, deep and brown, like liquid chocolate that I could gladly drown in. All in all, he was hot. I definitely could have gotten a worse looking mentor. He was watching me watch him; it was kind of funny in an odd way. I felt self conscious under his studious gaze.

"What's your name?" I asked suddenly.

He jerked his gaze up to my eyes, surprised that I had spoken to him. "Dimitri Belikov," he answered after a beat of silence, his accented voice filling the room. He was definitely Russian.

"Well, Dimitri Belikov, I'm Rose Hathaway. Welcome to Hathaway Hell," I smirked.

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><p><em>AN: in this story, their school day is going to officially start at 8 am, b/c that's when most school days start. So breakfast is going to be the hour before (7 am-8 am) and their training will take place the hour before breakfast (6am-7am) just to save confusion. (: thank you to all who reviewed. I will make sure that I mark any M rated spots, if I have any. If you would like to write one for the story, I'll gladly fit it in somewhere._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does. Enjoy!**

DPOV:

"Welcome to Hathaway Hell," she smirked.

I couldn't help the shudder that went down my back at the look on her face. It was confident and cocky, and oh, was it sexy! It clearly said that she knew what she was doing and wasn't going to take shit from anybody else. On any other girl it would have looked arrogant and ridiculous, but Rose...Rose clearly knew what she was talking about. It was a complete 180 from how she was not two minutes before.

"Guardian Belikov, to mentor Rose I'm going to have to set down some guidelines." Petrov pulled me from my thoughts once again.

"Guidelines?" I echoed. "I thought I was going to have free reign on the training sessions?"

Petrov nodded. "Yes, you will, but due to recent events, there are some things Rose will not be able to do. One being," here she hesitated, glancing at Rose.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. She cleared her throat, looking vaguely uneasy. "Well, um, I kinda, well, I don't really feel...at ease...with men at this very moment in time." She pressed her lips together and swallowed. "So if you could do me a favor and keep a distance of, oh, say, 10 feet? That'd be great."

I was astonished. 10 feet? How was I supposed to teach her anything at that distance. I would have to almost shout to simply be heard! And why 10 feet? Why was she uneasy around men? Unless...no, that can't be why. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Then how do you propose I train you?" I asked, feeling slightly frustrated.

Rose looked away, but not before I caught a glimpse of her face. She looked upset, and ashamed? I was even more lost. Her shoulders slumped a bit, and I felt bad.

"I'm -" I began, regretting my callous words, but she cut me off.

"Don't," she snapped, spinning around to face me, her eyes on fire. "If I'm too much trouble and work for you to mentor me, then don't. Wouldn't want to inconvenience you," she said sarcastically.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Didn't she want to graduate and become the Princess's guardian? Didn't she want to know how to defend herself and her child?

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><p>RPOV: <em>(I know I'm changing povs a lot, but you need to know what's going on in both of their heads)<em>

God, I hated this. I didn't want to have to say it, but Alberta had that look on her face like she wasn't sure what to say, so I had to take over. I cleared my throat, feeling unsure about how I was going to say this. I knew the reaction I was going to get; first would be the outrage: I can't train her like that! Then, then came the pity.

I cleared my throat, and stammered out, "Well, um, I kinda, well, I don't really feel...at ease...with men at this very moment in time." I pressed my lips as I prepared myself for his reaction the next thing I'm going to say. "So if you could do me a favor and keep a distance of, oh, say, 10 feet? That'd be great."

As I expected, he looked astonished, and frustrated. "Then how do you propose I train you?" he practically snapped.

I felt my mood crashing again. I hated how pathetic and weak I was. I wanted to be strong and fierce, able to get trained to be a total badass. All I knew was, I was a defenseless little girl who couldn't be trained to be a badass because I was too scared. I felt my shoulders slump slightly. His reaction hurt more than others, and I didn't know why.

"I'm -" Dimitri began, and I could hear the pity in his voice. There was no way I was going to let him feel pity for me.

I spun around, furious. "Don't!" I snapped, suddenly very pissed off. "If I'm too much trouble and work for you to mentor me, then don't. Wouldn't want to inconvenience you," I said so sarcastically that the words almost hurt coming out of my mouth.

He looked taken aback. I breathed heavily after my outburst. Damn, these mood swings were giving me whiplash. I hadn't actually meant the part about not training me, because I really, really, really wanted to be trained so that I can graduate, and defend my baby, even if I was unsure about how I felt about it. I hoped that I didn't damage things too badly to repair them.

He continued looking at me silently for several moments, then sighed. "Umm, well, I guess that I could give you instructions, and demonstrate on the dummies..." he trailed off, looking uncertain.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't ruined everything. Quickly, I nodded. "Yeah, that would work, and if I'm around you every day, twice a day, for an hour each time I'll probably get used to you and you could get closer, and stuff," I replied eagerly, feeling my face light up.

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><p>DPOV:<p>

I didn't understand how she could go from sad, to mad, to hyper, all within 5 minutes. Then I remembered that she was pregnant. Great. I thought sarcastically.

I nodded, trying to get back on the subject at hand. "Okay, is there anything else I need to know?"

Rose thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, you're good."

I nodded again. "Okay then, why don't we proceed with our lesson...in the gym?"

Rose nodded, and stood up. She turned to look at Alberta. "Thanks, Bertie," she said, gratitude warming her voice.

Petrov smiled at Rose. "Go on with your lesson, you've wasted enough time," she said affectionately.

I walked out of the room, Rose following me at a distance. As I walked toward the gym, I thought about how I was going to train her.

"How far along are you?" I called back to her.

"Hmm? Oh," she looked up, startled. "Um, about a month and a week," she answered.

I considered that. A month a week. That gave me about four months to teach her major stuff, because once she reached five months she wouldn't be able to do much in the way of fighting, meaning I could teach her only until Christmas. I grimaced. This was complicated.

"You're going the wrong way!" Rose's voice made me jump.

"Huh?" I stopped and turned around, looking at her confused.

She smiled slightly. "You're going to the right; the gym is to the left."

"Oh," I smiled sheepishly, realizing she was right. "Sorry."

She giggled, and walked towards me. "How bout I lead?" She asked as she passed by me within 5 feet. Something told me that it was the closest she had been to a man willingly.

"Sure," I smiled at her. Her answering smile was brilliant. It took my breath away. It lit up her whole face, making it glow like an angel's.

I followed her at a distance that was slightly less than 10 feet. Maybe 6 feet, or so, far enough away that she felt comfortable.

She reached the gym, quickly going in. I followed right behind her. As I walked in, I slammed into a warm body, knocking them off their feet. Automatically, I grabbed their shoulders to keep from falling. At that moment, I realized that I held Rose in my arms.

For a second, it seemed like time slowed down as my brain caught up with my actions. Rose looked stunned, like she didn't know what was happening, and then she did...

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><p><em>AN: Oohhh, I'm mean! that's a cliffy if I've ever seen one XD. What do you think her reaction will be? Should I make her freak out and have a melt down, or should I have her be okay? I don't know yet, my character ran away from me at the last possible second, so you tell me what I should do. While you're at it, you should definitely message me a lemon/lime I can put in the story ;) thanks to everybody who reviewed! I'm glad you all like this story! (:_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does. Enjoy the long awaited chapter! lol (:**

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><p>RPOV:<p>

As I walked in front of him, I was hyper-aware of him behind me. I knew somehow that he was closer than 10 feet, and the thought oddly excited me, instead of frightening me. Maybe there was hope for me after all, I thought optimistically. I walked through the gym doors, figuring that it was going to be a few seconds before he came in, so I decided to scare him.

I turned around to go back the way I came, to hide by the door. Something told me that I probably shouldn't do this, that it was going to end badly, but I was enough myself that it just made me more determined to prove that I wasn't some scared little girl.

What I didn't expect was for him to walk through the door just as I reach it, causing us to collide.

Everything happened in slow motion. It felt like I hit a brick wall, making me bounce back. His arms came around me, automatically it seems, keeping me from falling, and also pulling me towards him.

I froze, my brain stuttering as it tried to catch up with everything. But, once it did, I wished it had stayed far, far away.

Even though I knew, _knew_, in my higher reasoning that he wasn't going to hurt me, that he was just trying to save me, I could do nothing about my body's reaction. My mouth open in a blood curdling scream as I brought my up hands instinctively to fight off my attacker.

"Get away get away get away!" I screamed, my eyes closed. I felt like I was back there, defenseless, unable to fight _him_ off. No! It wasn't going to happen again!

I didn't realize that I was saying _no_ until I heard Dimitri's voice, all the way across the gym now, telling me it was okay. Well, more like shouting. As I registered this, I realized that I was curled into a ball on the floor.

I breathed heavily as I once again became aware of my surroundings. Slowly, I sat up, looking around, making sure nothing was going to hurt me. All of a sudden, I felt like a little girl, waking from a nightmare and wishing my daddy was here to keep me save. But now, just like then, my daddy wasn't here to save me. The only difference between now and then was that now I actually knew who my father was, another mistake that my mom had tried to fix when I almost died and she decided she wanted me after all.

I sighed, relaxing further. I swallowed as I started to shakily get up.

"No! Stay down," Dimitri's voice made me flinch in surprise. I looked up at him, all the way across the gym. "You might hurt yourself or the baby," he continued.

Something about the tone of his voice, or maybe it was the concern on his face, or maybe even the fact that he was all the way across the gym, giving me space, yet looking like he wanted to hold me in his arms, broke me.

I couldn't hold the tears, or sobs. It was like a dam broke. I could do nothing to stop it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him hesitantly start forward, stopping when he was about 6 feet in front of me. He hesitated again, then slowly yet gracefully sat down cross legged. In the back of my hysterical mind, I was surprised that someone so tall could be so graceful. For reason unknown, this thought made me cry harder.

"Why?" I wailed. "Why do I have to be so weak? Why can't I be normal? Why – why – why can't I have a normal life?" I sobbed. "WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?" I screamed the last part so loudly that it hurt my throat.

The entire time, Dimitri just sat there and watch, a pained look on his face. He stayed like that while my wails gradually calmed down to soft sobs.

"You were raped, weren't you?" he asked quietly.

* * *

><p>DPOV:<p>

I caught her to keep her from falling, but what I didn't expect was her reaction. As soon as she realized what happened, she freaked out. She started screaming and hitting me.

"Get away get away!" she screamed.

Automatically, I released her arms. She dropped to the floor and curled up into a ball to keep herself safe. I quickly moved away from her to the other side of the gym.

"No, no, no, no," she kept murmuring.

"It's alright!" I called out, hoping that my voice would bring her back. "It's alright, you can get up, I'm nowhere near you! It's okay!"

She slowly sat up, looking around, for what, I wasn't exactly sure. All I wanted to do in that moment was gather her up in my arms and hold her tight, making sure nothing could hurt her. As she started to stand up, I could tell even from this distance that she was shaking so I told her to stay down so that she didn't hurt either of them. She sat back down, then looked at me. I didn't know what showed on my expression, probably my desire to help her because my emotionless mask, the one I worked so hard to keep, had shattered the moment she did. Whatever she saw made her break down in tears and sobs. I knew that her being so upset was horrible for the baby, but I didn't know how to help her. Hesitantly, I walked closer to her, letting her know by my body language that she could tell me to stop at any moment. When she didn't, I kept going until I was about 6 feet away again. I hesitated again. I wanted to get closer, but still wanted her to be comfortable, so I just sat down cross legged and watch her sob her heart out helplessly.

"Why?" she suddenly wailed. "Why do I have to be so weak? Why can't I be normal? Why – why – why can't I have a normal life?" she sobbed.

"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?" She screamed this so loudly that her voice hurt my ears.

As I listened to her, pieces started to come slowly together in my head. How uncomfortable she was around men, her reaction and words when I touched her, her screaming now, and lastly, the simple fact that she was pregnant.

She was raped.

All of a sudden, all I wanted to do was find the bastard who did this to her and tear him apart – limb – from – limb.

But all I_ could_ do is watch her break down with a painful expression on my face.

Finally, her sobs and cries quieted down to just soft tears.

I knew now probably wasn't the best time, but I needed to know. "You were raped, weren't you?" I asked her, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>_A/N: sorry about the late update. Wasn't really sure how to put the image I had in my mind into words. Well! Looks like Dimitri has figured it out! What do you think Rose's answer should be? Will she break down and tell him everything? Nah, that'd be too easy! And Dimitri! Way to be subtle, man! I hadn't meant for him to ask quite so bluntly, but he ran away from me again. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! A lot of people were for the break down. Hope I didn't disappoint! And for those of you who want lemons, well, I can't put any in my story if I don't have any! PM a lemon, cuz there's no way I'm even attempting to write one myself :P so just message me one, or put it as your review, I don't really care. Either or, I'm going to see it. Thank you all (:_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.**

RPOV:

I froze when he asked me that question. Suddenly, the memories bombarded me. Getting closer to my mom. Going to visit her over the summer. His flirting. His touches. His arrogance. His refusal to believe I denied him. His hands all over me. His eyes compelling me to stay still. The look of satisfaction on his face at my screams.

_"Come one Rose, you know you like it. You're just like any other dhampir, aren't you?" I screamed as he penetrated me again, the pain like fire inside my body, bloody and hot. "Yes, you like a lot."_

_All of a sudden, there was a pounding on the door. We both froze and he look at the door, frustrated. I opened my mouth to scream when my mother's voice came through the door, and I hoped._

_"Keep it down in there, would you? There are other people in this house too, you know!" and she left; he put his hand over mouth my mouth before I could make a sound._

_He smiled sadistically down at me. "You heard your mother, Rosie. Keep it down!" and with that, he sank his teeth into my neck, biting me as he continued to push and pull, in and out. I was lost in a world of pain, and agony. I lost myself, wishing it would stop, wishing I could do anything to stop it._

I forced the memories out of my head. They left me breathless with agony.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, my voice raw. His face looked astonished. I didn't think that he had expected me to admit that it actually happened.

"Oh, Rose," he said softly. I shook my head, standing up.

"I don't want to talk about it," I repeated firmly, wanting to just bury last summer in the back of my mind, a very hard feat since the proof of IT was in me now, and it had only occurred barely over a month ago.

Dimitri looked at me for several long moments, then nodded. "Alright then. We have about," he looked at the clock, "10 minutes left. Go out to the track and run. Let's see how many laps you can run in ten minutes. We'll start a more formal lesson tomorrow, when we have the full hour, okay?" he told me.

I nodded, then went out to the track and did several stretches, preparing myself to run.

"I'm going to time you, okay?" Dimitri called from his place by the track, where I assumed I would be starting.

I looked at him, confused. "But I thought I was going to do as many laps as I could in ten minutes?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I want to see what your times are for each lap."

I nodded understanding.

"Okay, on your mark, get set, go!"

I raced around the track trying to get as many laps in as humanly possible in the ten minutes. I was used to running because my mom had made me run while I was with her over the summer, and Alberta had also made me run when she had trained me last year to catch me up on things. Last year I actually had many mentors, since everybody was busy and couldn't have daily training sessions. I was grateful that this year I had just one mentor, even if he was a man. I couldn't handle different mentors in my state, which made me think that that was why my mom had gotten Dimitri to train.

_That and the guilt._ I thought bitterly, speeding up once I notice that while I was thinking, I had slowed down.

The ten minutes passed by surprisingly fast. My mind was full of thoughts, which helped distract me from the burning in my legs and lungs from the excursion. I finished the last lap, stumbling to a halt in front of Dimitri. Or, well, about 6 feet away from him, I thought wryly.

I smiled at him, in high spirits after my run. Dimitri smiled back. "Good job. You have remarkable times." He showed me the clipboard on which he had written the times, tossing it to me so that he didn't get any closer.

I felt an odd fluttering in my chest at his thoughtfulness, how he seemed like he wasn't even thinking about being careful around, like it came naturally. _Although he hasn't kept up with the 10 feet agreement, yet you don't seem to mind_. A voice in my mind whispered, which I promptly ignored.

I glanced over the times, surprised by how good they were. "Cool," I said casually, tossing the board back. He caught it deftly with one hand, nodding to me.

"I'm gonna change, then go to breakfast," I said, walking backwards away from him. "I'll see you around during the day, or if not, then in the afternoon. See ya!" I waved, then turned around and jogged back to the changing room. I quickly changed, pulling on my long sleeved red shirt and comfy flare jeans; clothes that were comfortable to fight in, but not too tight and revealing.

By the time I walked out of the gym, Dimitri was already gone.

I went to Lissa's dorm room to wake her up, and walk her to breakfast. I smiled at the irony. Usually, it was the other way around; Lissa dragged me out of bed to go to breakfast, and I always somehow managed to be late to class anyway, even waking up with plenty of time to get ready and eat.

Going into the Moroi girls' dorm room didn't bother me, since they were all girls, but I got lots of looks, none of them nice, from the other Moroi. Not only was I a dhampir come to intrude on _their territory_, but I was a supposed blood-whore slut who lets any guy do anything to her. Luckily, most of the people here didn't know that I was pregnant, just my close friends and the guardians in charge of my combat classes.

No matter what people thought, or how they looked at me, I didn't care. I was happy, nothing was going to get my mood down. I didn't even know why I was happy. I had a suspicion that it had something to do with Dimitri, but I didn't even want to go there. I was afraid of what I would find. So instead, I focused on Lissa, my best friend and sister.

She was just putting on the finishing touches on her makeup when I walked into the door.

"Gooood morning sunshine!" I said cheerfully, barging through her door without knocking.

She jumped, startled, then turned around to scold me for scaring her, but froze with her mouth open once she saw me.

I raised my eyebrows, since I was unable to raise only one, and asked her, "What? Do I have something on my face?" I wiped a hand down my cheek, making sure it was clean.

Lissa shook her head, coming back to her senses. "No, no! It's just, well, I'm umm, surprised you look so...happy. I haven't seen you this...free, in a long time," she said, studying my face.

I gave a her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Lissa pressed her lips together, trying to figure out how to put what she meant._ Just, you usually look kinda down, and not as...bright and glowy, I guess._ She sent me through our bond. I listened to her thoughts, and saw how she saw me.

I had a smiled on my face, and I looked relaxed, not guarded, like I have been since the incident. My face looked softened around the edges, and I looked at peace, for the first time since...she didn't even know how long. Before her family's accident, that was for sure. I hadn't even looked this relaxed when we had escaped 2 years ago, and I certainly didn't look this happy when they had captured us junior year, just one year after our epic escape. The situation with Victor Dashkov certainly hadn't helped. _(A/N: Victor did all his evil doing last year, when they were brought back; lust spell obviously didn't happen; it was an attack spell this time, on Alberta and Rose.)_

And now, after only an hour with my new mentor, I was happy and glowing. Must be the pregnancy, I concluded.

"It's the pregnancy," I explained. Lissa burst out laughing.

"Yeah, okay, you keep telling yourself that. I don't think you're one of those women who glow when they're pregnant. I think you're one of those that turns into a little devil with hormones," she said, giggling.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and you'll be an angel once you're pregnant. Oh, wait, you'll never be pregnant since Christian is about as good and capable of a good fuck_ and_ aim as a retarded monkey on drugs. Oh wait, that's what he is," I said snarkily.

"Rose!" Lissa slapped my arm with the force of a falling feather. In fact, I looked down at my arm, then back at her hand several times before I was sure she really _had_ hit me, and it wasn't one of my delusions.

"What are you doing Rose?" Lissa asked, looking at me weirdly.

"Making sure you hit, and I hadn't imagined watching your hand move," I explained. She looked at me puzzled as she tried to figure out what I had meant.

"Wha – Oh!" she cried out. "Rose! You're so mean!" She slapped my arm again.

"Oh, what's this? Hitting a pregnant woman now! I thought you were better than that!" I teased her.

She just rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I'm sure you can handle a lot more than that even when you're in labor. Although, I don't think that you can actually have something_ worse_ than labor pains." she mused.

I shuddered. "Uh – uh, sister, no way am I going through that. It's an epidural for me!"

Lissa shook her head. "I'm doing it naturally the first time, so I'll know how it feels, then I'm gonna be on drugs all the other times."

"All the other times? Jeez, Liss, how many times are you planning on getting pregnant?" I asked her incredulously.

Lissa shrugged. "I want a big family."

I rolled my eyes again. "Are you sure Sparky can even get it up enough times for you to have that many kids?" I asked, doubting his male abilities. Of course, I also doubt that he was indeed a male at times, but that's beside the point.

Lissa smacked me _again. "_My, God Liss! You've been spending too much time with Sir Sparks–a–lot. He's rubbing off on you."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. And the fact that you've been raised on violence and are my best friend has nothing to do with that?" she asked sarcastically.

Oh, wow. She really_ had_ been spending too much time with Sparky. She was getting as sarcastic as he is. I shook my head sadly. "Of course not, Liss! Why would you ever even think such a thing? What happened to my gentle, kindhearted best friend?" I asked, pouting.

She laughed. "Absolutely nothing. She's still right here."

At that moment, the door opened, and in walked the devil himself.

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><p><em>AN: sorry about not updating. I can give you a million and one excuses, but they won't be true. I simply didn't know how to end the chapter since I wanted to make this one longer._

_Anyway, who can guess who I mean by _the devil_? who do you think did _that_ to her? Did you like the flashback? I didn't really want to give much away, because it will be all told later on, but some people wanted a flashback, so I gave it to you. Now you know why she's so iffy around guys, why her mom feels guilty, and why she's pregnant. So what do you think? I'll probably update again tonight to make up for the lack of update yesterday. Thank you to all who reviewed! You give me inspiration, and make me write my story when I'm being lazy lol._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.

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><p><em>Previously: At that moment, the door opened, and in walked the devil himself.<em>

RPOV:

I grinned as Christian Ozera himself walked in. "Speak of the devil..." I said. _(A/N: I called Christian the devil b/c the saying goes: Speak of the devil and he shall appear, and they were just talking bout him)_

Lissa giggled, while Christian, aka Sparky, raised an eyebrow.

"Talking about how irresistibly sexy I am, are you?" he asked jokingly.

I gagged, pretending to vomit. But just as I was about to reply with a witty remark, my acting became reality, and I sprinted to the bathroom, just before the contents of my stomach spewed out of my mouth. I felt someone come up behind me and hold my hair back. From the bond, I knew it was Lissa.

Once I was done emptying my stomach, I stood up slowly and walked over to her sink, rinsing out my mouth.

"You can use my toothbrush," Lissa said sympathetically. Ever notice how sympathetically has PATHETIC in it? Yeah, I had, I thought bitterly. But regardless, I used her toothbrush to get the disgusting taste out of my mouth. Once I was done, I turned around to face her and sighed. She had that sympathetic yet pitying look on her face that I wasn't sure she knew she had.

I sighed again. "I'm fine, Liss. No need to hover."

She continued looking at me with concern, but moved so that I could get out of the bathroom.

As I walked back into the room, I saw Sparky sitting on Lissa's bed, also looking concerned. Well look at that, Sparky has a heart!

Suddenly, I got an idea. Usually, it took me weeks of being around a guy and getting used to him before he could walk within ten feet of me. But with Dimitri it was instantaneous, which made me wonder if I was finally getting over it. Or maybe it was just him. I hoped not.

"Sparky, come here," I said. Christian got up hesitantly, and walked toward me, stopping the customary five feet away.

I shook my head. "Come closer."

He hesitated again, then slowly took a step forward.

Almost instantly, my palms started to sweat, and my breathing picked up, as if there was a bubble around me and Christian intruded on it with his one step, causing my body to react. I quickly shook my head, and he leaped back, knowing not to push me.

I closed my eyes as my shoulders slumped in defeat. Looks like it was just Dimitri. I didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand, I was relieved because he was going to be my guarding partner, and my mentor for the rest of the year. On the other hand, I was disappointed because that meant I hadn't moved forward at all. It also made me wonder _why_ he was the only person who could immediately get within 6 feet of me when I barely knew his name. And where he came from, if his Russian accent was any indication.

I shook off these thoughts, looking up to see Lissa and Christian looking at me patiently.

"What was that about?" Lissa asked once she saw that my attention was on them.

I shrugged. "I just wanted to see if I'd gotten better, ya know? Now that I have a mentor, I really need to get over this; how else is he going to train me?" I asked, mostly to myself.

Lissa's eyes widened. "You have a mentor? And it's a HE?"

I nodded absentmindedly.

Lissa's expression became positively alarmed. "Well, we can't have that! You'll be a nervous wreck! I'm going to go to Alberta and change this!"

She was half to the door before her words registered in my mind. But when they did, I hurried over to her, stopping her before she walked out the door.

"No, no, no, Liss!" I exclaimed. "I already talked to Alberta, and we figured it out," I assured her.

Lissa looked at me carefully. "So you now have a new mentor now, right? A _female_ one?"

I shook my head. "No, Alberta and I figured something else out. Since Dimitri is going to be your guardian, or, well,_ is_ your guardian, and I need to get used to him, and all men in general, he's going to be my mentor, teaching me and helping me get rid of this phobia." I didn't mention the fact that it appeared I was already comfortable with him. It seemed like I was going to jinx it if I said it out loud.

Lissa continued looking at me doubtfully. _Are you sure that's what you want, Rose?_ She asked through the bond.

I nodded, then smirked. "Besides, he's hot," I said, breaking the tension that had fallen on the room.

Lissa rolled her eyes, but smiled at me. "Who is is, anyway?" she asked.

I grinned. "Dimitri Belikov. Anyway, let's go to breakfast, we're hungry," I said, rubbing my tummy.

Lissa nodded, her eyes softening. "Of course, let's go." And with that, we left to go to breakfast.

* * *

><p>DPOV:<p>

After my very interesting lesson with Rose, I decided to get a quick breakfast, then go to the cafeteria to stand guard. I would be lying if I said that my decision to watch the commons during breakfast was purely me being a good Samaritan, and had nothing to do with Rose. To be honest, I wanted to see how Rose interacted with others, and how I could reach out to her to be a better guardian, _and_ help her get over her fear. I ate a quick breakfast, and headed down to the commons from the guardian housing.

When I walked into the room, it was mostly empty with a few early risers. As time passed, more people came down. I had been standing guard for about 20 minutes when Rose finally showed up with a couple of her friends. She was walking arm in arm with a blonde Moroi, who I assumed was the Princess. A dark haired boy I knew to be my friend Tasha Ozera's nephew, Christian Ozera, trailed after them, about five feet away. I figured that that was how far away all guys were around Rose after this morning. As I watched, Rose and Vasilisa went over to an empty table by the windows, while Christian, who was now joined by two novices, a redhead, and a brown haired one, went to the line, to get food for the three of them, or so I assumed.

I looked back toward Rose and Vasilisa and noticed that a blonde Moroi with curly hair had joined them. _(A/N: Mia is going to be their friend b/c her mom was raped too, and she felt compassionate toward Rose. They're just sort of friends; Spokane hasn't happened.)_

The girl sat on the other side of Rose. Then another female novice came over and sat in front of Rose. I was puzzled for a moment, trying to figure out why they were sitting like that, until the guys came back bearing armloads of food, and sat by the girls, successfully staying about four feet away from Rose. Then I got it. They had created a wall of girls around Rose so that she felt safe. I smiled slightly at the ingeniousness of this.

I strolled over to their table casually, watching for danger. Finally, I got within earshot of them, and stood against the wall, pretending to watch the commons, while really listening in on their conversation.

"So, Rose, who's your new mentor?" the novice girl asked.

"Dimitri Belikov," Rose said casually. "Why, Meredith, jealous you don't have one?"

Meredith snorted. "Yeah, right. Get up at the crack of dawn, get my ass kicked, go to breakfast, suffer more classes, then go back? No thank you, I enjoy my sleep and free time too much."

Rose snorted. "First off, it's not the crack of dawn, more like sunset. And second, if you were at all serious about becoming a guardian, you would try to get as much training in as possible," Rose said, surprisingly serious.

Apparently this was even more out of character than I had thought because everybody was looking at her like she had three heads.

"Yeah, serious. Says the pregnant one," Meredith sneered.

Rose glared at her, and opened her mouth. Vasilisa put a calming hand on Rose's arm and stared at her intently. I didn't think that that would stop Rose from snapping at Meredith, and started toward their table to defuse any fight that might break out, but to my surprise, Rose simple lifted a shoulder, and went back to her food. Lissa let go of her arm, and an awkward silence fell on the table.

"So Rose," the red headed guy said, trying to change the subject. "Does this mean that you're going to actually be part of the combat classes, or are you going to do your Christmas tree thing, being angry and jealous?" he asked jokingly.

Rose gave him a half smile. "I don't know, it's up to Dimitri."

"Who?" the guy asked.

"My mentor, remember? I just told you this like 5 minutes ago. Jeez Mase, get your mind away from my naked body and pay attention," she joked. Or at least I hoped so.

The guy, Mase, smiled cockily. "Sorry, Rose, you're just so hot I can't help but think about you naked."

Rose simply rolled her eyes, but my fists clench at his casual words. _You have no right thinking about her like that!_ I wanted to scream at him._She's not a piece of meat for you to stare at! You have no respect!_ I wanted to teach him some respect. By ripping his eyes out so that he can never ogle at Rose again. Then rip his tongue out so –

Whoa! Where did that come from? I was shocked. He's just a guy, I assured myself. Besides, it's not like he had a chance with Rose, not now, not in her state of mind. He would never have a chance with Rose, even if –

I cut my thoughts off again. What was the matter with me? Why was I thinking these thoughts? I didn't –

"Hey Comrade!" Rose's voice interrupted my thoughts. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. I looked up to see her looking at me. I was puzzled. I had been sure she had said 'comrade'...

Rose grinned. "He lives!" she mock cheered.

I raised my eyebrow. "Comrade?" I asked.

She shrugged, still smiling. "So, are you going to train me during class, or do I get to sit out like every other day?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm going to train you during lessons, so make sure that you change."

She nodded. "Cool," Then she turned back to her breakfast, and I left the room, going to Guardian Alto's room instead, since it was Rose's first class.

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><p><em>AN: Sorry about not updating yesterday; stupid site wouldn't let me! Anyway, there you go! I hope everybody understood my reference at the beginning of the chapter. Sorry to disappoint those who were hoping for someone more exciting (: I wanted to make this chapter longer, but it's late and I have school tomorrow, so I'm going to leave it here, but I promise a longer one tomorrow. I'm getting tired of all of this happening on the same day, so tomorrow we're going to finish it off, and move on with the story! thank you to all who reviewed, a special thank you for sunayna4sho review; you seriously made my day! I'll update tomorrow as soon as possible; I'll work on it at school, so it's not as late as it has been lately :P thanks for reading my story!_


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.

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><p><strong><strong>RPOV:

I had a fun filled breakfast, but now I had to go to Stan's class. Ugh. I hated Stan as long as I remembered, and I knew that the feeling was mutual. I was ecstatic, though, when Dimitri told me that I was going to do actual combat training. As soon as the teachers heard that I was pregnant, they immediately stopped allowing me to fight other people. Instead, I sat in the back of the gym watching everyone else fight, or running the track, although the latter was only for days I was really truly bored, or hyper. I could physically feel my muscles going to waste, so I used to sneak out to use the punching back in the gym after curfew when no one else was around. That was stopped when Alberta caught me beating the shit out of a punching back til my hands were bloody. Now the gym is locked, and my hallway seems to always be watched, making sure I didn't escape from my room. All in all, it sucked, and I was glad that Dimitri was going to let me fight. With a dummy, that is. Not him. Which kinda sucked, but whatever. Maybe soon enough I will be able to fight him. I could only hope.

I walked slowly towards Stan's room, knowing my seat in the back would be open. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of my rage, which Eddie would probably end up caring out through punches. And the sweet thing was, he wouldn't even get in trouble because Alberta had given him permission to keep the guys away from me by any means. He had already had to use that privilege on several occasions. It wasn't pretty.

When I walked into Stan's class, I quickly scanned the room, like a guardian would, except I wasn't looking for the same kind of dangers. Once I saw that my seat was empty, like it was every day, and found a route by which I would be able to get to it without getting near guys, I sat down and faced the front. To my instant relief, Alberta was subbing today for Stan. I wondered idly why he was missing class. I hoped it wasn't because of me, I thought, appalled. Even though I didn't like Stan, and annoyed him every chance I got, I didn't really want him out of a job. Although, if that meant I would never have to suffer through another class with him, it would totally be worth it.

I focused on Alberta as she started the class. I listened carefully, and was surprised that this class was actually highly informational. With Stan, we seemed to argue more than learn, and hearing Alberta teach and get something out of it was a nice change.

The class seemed to fly by. I was hyper aware of the fact that Dimitri wasn't too far away from where I sat. I wondered if he was guarding any of my other classes. Clearly, he was going to teach my combat classes, but was he going to be in the classes I had with Lissa?

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I stayed in my seat as everyone rushed out. It was a daily occurrence, and the teachers knew by now to let me be late, so I could avoid the crowded hallways. As the new class came in, I got up and stood in the back of the classroom, a few feet away from Dimitri. Why he was still here, I had no idea. Was he waiting for me? I felt something flutter in my chest at the thought.

The bell rang again. Classes started now. I walked quietly out the door, Dimitri following me out almost silently, and I got the distinct impression that he only made noise so that I knew he was there. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that if he wanted to be, he could be as silent as the wind on a still summer day.

We walked to my combat class in comfortable silence. Once we got there, I immediately went to the girl's locker room and change into workout clothes. I came back quickly and stood in front of Dimitri.

"Okay, Comrade, what are we going to do?" I asked.

Dimitri smiled at me. "We, or actually you, are going to run."

I groaned. Dimitri's smiled widened. "Again?" I asked.

"Yup," he said almost cheerfully.

I made a face as I started stretching. "I thought you said I would be fighting?"

Dimitri shook his head. "You will during your Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques class, fourth period. Right now, since it's Weight Training and Conditioning class, you will be running, then we will focus on weights and such. You only have so much time to train before you're too far along to continue classes. Actually, you have until you're about 4 and a half months, because by the time you're 5 months along, you'll be too..." he hesitated, trying to find the right word. "...too far along to do any combat, or anything more than stretching, really. Maybe some running."

I stared at him, frozen with horror. "Do...nothing?" I said in a horror filled voice. "What?"

I could see Dimitri trying to hide a smile. "By the time you're 5 months along, you won't _want _to do anything, trust me."

I huffed in annoyance. "How do you know all this about pregnant women, anyway? Got a wife hidden somewhere that I don't know about?" I asked jokingly, hoping he would say no. I didn't even know why, but just the thought of him married made me sick all over.

Dimitri smirked. "Nah, just two pregnant sisters," he explained.

I let out a silent sigh of relief. Thank God he wasn't married. _But that doesn't mean he's single. _A voice whispered. _And besides, why do you care if he's married or not?_

I ignored the voice, instead continuing to stretch. Once I was done, I went out to the track, Dimitri following me. I turned to him once we reached the track. "How many laps?" I asked.

He considered. "12," he replied.

I gawked at him. "12?" I screeched.

He raised an eyebrow. "You did more this morning."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but this morning I wasn't tired. Now I am." I replied.

He tilted his head to the side. "Well, think of it this way: What if, after running all those laps, Strigoi attacked, and you had to run to Lissa? Would you do it?" he asked.

I nodded. "In a heartbeat."

"Well, then think of it that way. Now go run," he commanded me.

I sighed, but started to run my laps.

After I was done with them, Dimitri showed me what reps and weights he wanted me to do from a few feet away.

By the end of the lesson, I was somewhat sore, but it was a good kind of sore. It meant I actually did something instead of sitting on my butt doing nothing. I went to English in a good mood. I couldn't wait until combat training. Dimitri said he was actually going to let me fight!

Class seemed to drag on. The fact that I kept glancing at the clock every minute probably didn't help, but I couldn't stop myself. I was eager to fight after a whole month and a half of not being allowed to. Dimitri watched this class, too, which helped the time move faster, oddly enough. I didn't hear a single word of the lesson, although I couldn't completely blame my impatience; I had a sneaking suspicious that I wouldn't have paid attention to the lesson regardless.

Finally, finally, after about 3 years of waiting, the bell rang. I hated having to wait for everyone to leave, but I knew that if I were to leave now, it would just delay me more since I would probably go ballistic, surrounded by so many boys. Again, Dimitri waited with me, and again we walked to class in silence.

I shot off to the changing room as soon as I got to the gym. I changed in record time, and was out, standing in front of Dimitri, in a grand total of about 2 minutes.

"Okay, Comrade, what do you want me to do?" I asked, bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet in excitement.

He chuckled at my eagerness, but said, "Stretch first, then we'll move on to more physical stuff."

I stretch as quickly as I could, then straightened up, looking at him expectantly.

"Okay, what's the first problem you will run into while fighting Strigoi?" he asked.

"They could be bigger than me," I said promptly. Alberta had already tested me on that.

He nodded. "Do you know of any moves that would help you? That you can use their size to your advantage?"

I nodded.

"Show me on those dummies." Dimitri said, nodding to the dummies standing a ways away.

I walked over to them, and demonstrated a couple moves, although it was slightly difficult considering the fact that it was stationary.

Dimitri seemed to realize the problem too, and looked around. "What's that girl's name?" he asked, pointing.

I looked to where he was pointing and saw Meredith. "That's Meredith," I replied.

"Thanks," he said. "Meredith!" he called out.

Meredith looked up in surprise. Her widened, and I knew it was because Dimitri was so hot. She must be ecstatic about being called over by such a fine hunk of a man.

"Yeah?" she said, coming up to us without taking her eyes off of Dimitri. For some reason, that really irritated me.

"Could you do me a favor? Could you help Rose with her demonstration?" he asked politely.

Meredith nodded, then turned to me. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Um, just come at me offensively, but don't actually attack me, okay?" I said, thinking about my move. Maybe I could _accidentally_punch her in her pretty face, _accidentally _breaking her nose. I grinned mentally at the picture in my mind.

Meredith nodded, and backed away a couple of feet, crouching like she was going to attack me. She pretended to attack me. I retaliated with one of the defensive moves that Alberta showed me. I executed the move perfectly, knocking Meredith off her feet.

Dimitri nodded. "Good, show me what else you've got."

I gave him several more demonstrations, doing my best to show him what I'd learned. After I showed him my defense, we moved on to offense. Poor Meredith ended up pretty much being my punching bag for the entire lesson. Now and then, Dimitri would correct me and show me how to do the move differently, more sufficiently, but mostly he stayed quiet, watching what I did, learning my moves so he knew what to teach me. As I mock fought with Meredith, I instinctively protected my stomach, but I knew I didn't do a very good job of it. If I was in a fight with a real Strigoi, my baby would be dead by now. That knowledge sent a shiver down my back. I was glad Dimitri would teach me to defend myself.

Lunch passed the same way as breakfast, then it was back to class, except this time Lissa was in almost all of my classes, except for math.

I noticed that Dimitri also watched over all of my lessons, except for math. I figured in the afternoon, he was watching over Lissa's classes, which meant he was in Lissa's math.

The rest of the day passed normally, then it was time for my afternoon lesson. After class, I immediately went to the gym. Dimitri was already there, setting up dummies. I changed into my workout cloths for the fourth time today, then went back out.

"Okay, today we will work on defensive moves. You need to be able to protect you stomach. Right now, that's more important than offensive; if you can't defend yourself, you can't attack your opponent either. I will show you the move, and you can try it out on the dummy. Sorry, we can't have a female novice, or guardian, since that would make things easier, but no one was free." He jumped straight into mentor mode when I appeared in front of him.

The lesson continued on this way, him showing me a move, me copying him. Without really thinking about it, the two of us moved closer as the lesson progressed, until we were only about two and a half feet apart. When I realized how close we were, I was astonished. No man had been able to get that close to me since IT happened. I figured that it was the fact that I trusted him even on a subconscious level, and that allowed him to get so close. I didn't say anything, though. I didn't want to jinx it.

****DPOV:

As the lesson progressed, I noticed we were both moving closer until only two and half feet separated us. I waited for her to say something, or even notice, but she never did. I knew she noticed, because when she looked at me, she seemed surprised, then she looked down at the space between us. She didn't comment, and I didn't want to jinx it, so neither of us mentioned the fact. I couldn't help but hope that she was getting more comfortable around me. It would make these lessons a million times easier.

I glanced at the clock to realize that practice was over. I looked over to Rose to tell her, but my words froze in my mouth. A ray of sunlight shown through the windows on the gym doors, and Rose stood directly in its path. The sunlight hit her back, making seem as if she was glowing, like an angel. She looked so beautiful in that moment that my heart ached.

Rose shifted, moving out of the sunlight, and breaking the moment.

She raised her eyebrows. "You okay there comrade? You look like you just got hit in the head and took a trip to La-La Land."

I tried to shake off the image of Rose glowing, but I couldn't. It was burned into my mind. I cleared my throat. "Oh, um, yeah, practice is over. Don't forget about tomorrow's practice, bright and early. Don't be late." I dismissed her.

She smiled brightly. "Okay then, see you tomorrow." She pranced off to the changing rooms.

I slowly began to clean up, putting the dummies back. I couldn't get the image of Rose out of my mind. How angelic she looked. The only thing she was missing were the wings; then she'd be a true angel. Her voice was like music. Thinking of her voice, and how she said my name, made my mind wander to other scenarios where she said my name. Where I made her _scream _my name. The images that popped up now were making me very excited, in a very bad way. I tried to shake off the thoughts. _She's just a 17 year old novice! _I screamed at myself. _She's my student, she's pregnant, and she's been raped! Quit thinking of her that way! You've only known her for a day! _The slam of a door broke me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Rose standing there, looking at me questioningly.

"You alright comrade? Voices in your head bothering you? If that's the case, I totally emphasize. Mine seem to never shut up." She grinned, letting me know she was kidding.

I couldn't help by smile back. "No, just thinking. I'm surprised you're still here." I said.

She nodded. "Good point. Bye comrade, see you tomorrow. Don't think too hard, you might pop a vessel." She walked away smirking.

I shook my head. _Oh, Rose, _I thought exasperated. I turned back to cleaning up, then went up to my room to take a shower, and read, then eat dinner later. _Maybe I should call Ivan, check up on him._I mused as I walked to my dorm_. He would be eager to hear all about my new puzzle._

* * *

><p><strong><strong>_A/N: I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for the past few days. I just haven't really felt like writing. I promise to update more regularly. Thank you to all who reviewed, you really helped get my butt moving to update (: I hope you all liked this chapter. I know it's moving slowly, but pretty soon things get interesting. I hope no one was confused about me calling Rose his puzzle. If you were, let me know, and I'll explain it :P Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas for future chapters. I'm open to suggestions. I'll do my best to update sometimes later this week._**  
><strong> 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

After I ate dinner, I decided to call Ivan up. Even though it had only been two days since we talked, I missed him. He was one of my only close friends. We'd met in senior year, and hit it off instantly. We became great friends, not like Lissa and Rose appeared to be, but we were close.

I lay in bed as I dialed the familiar phone number. While waiting for him to answer the phone, I pondered what I would say. I didn't get the chance to think too much because he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ivan! Hey!" I exclaimed, a smile breaking over my face.

"Dimitri! Hey, man!" I could hear the smile in his voice. "What's been going on? I miss you. Hathaway is like a frigging machine! I can't do anything fun with her around."

I laughed as he complained. "Better get used to it, cause I'm not coming back for a long, long time, if ever."

That sobered him up. "Don't say that man. What am I going to do without my favorite guardian? Besides, why would you want to stay? I mean, I get it, she's the Dragomir princess, but she'll get better guardians. Guard her for a couple of years, then come back to me. Or even come back once her other guardian, Rose was it? Yeah, Rose, is back on her feet and able to guard her." He spoke fast, trying to convince me.

"I don't know man, I really think it's going to take a while. And Rose...well, Rose needs lots of help. I can't just up and leave, and I'm pretty sure that's going to be true for a long time..." I trailed off, thinking of Rose.

"Yeah, isn't she preggers? Jeez, Dimka, just cause the slut couldn't keep her legs closed doesn't mean you have to be her guardian and savior. She brought it on herself, don't – "

I cut him off. "Don't talk about Rose like that!" I hissed. I knew that what he said wasn't true. She was clearly raped, she had said so, maybe not in so many words, but it was obvious. I wanted to find the bastard and –

I clenched my teeth together, not able to finish the thought for fear of losing my control and hurting something, or _someone._

"Wow, dude, what happened to you? She giving you favors? Cause if that's the case, I want a turn. I heard she's really hot!"

He was making me sick. Ivan was mostly not like other Royals; then there were times like this when he not only became a douche bag, but a Royal douche bag at that.

I gritted my teeth together. "You know nothing about her, Ivan, so please stop talking like you do."

He snorted. "Right, cause you know so much about her. You've known her for what, a day? Maybe two? Hardly long enough to say you know her too."

I shook my head, knowing he couldn't see me. "I'm not claiming I know her, Ivan, but I _can _say I know her better than you do. Whatever you've heard, it isn't true. You didn't see her..." I trailed off again, shaking my head sadly as I remembered her break down this morning. Was it only this morning? It seemed so much longer...

Ivan sighed. "You're right, I don't know her, but you don't either. Don't be so fast to call her innocent. You don't know much about her."

For some reason, that really irritated me. Yes, I'd only known her for a day. Yes, most of what I know about her was from other people. Yes, Ivan was totally right, I really didn't know her. But something told me there was more to her than appeared.

"You, once again, don't know her either, so don't judge her." My tone was final.

Ivan sighed. "Whatever, man. I'm not gonna argue with you. So what else is happening?"

The rest of our conversation continued on normally, with not much mention of Rose. But towards the end of the phone call, he asked about her again, not seeming to be able to stop himself.

"So, what's it like? Teaching a pregnant girl?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

I sighed, but the sound was slightly happier than the last time. "Well, she's a fast learner, that's for sure. She already knows so much. She picks things up really fast. It would help if we could actually fight, hand to hand, but despite that, she's amazing," I said, hearing the wonder in my own voice.

"Dude, it's been one day," Ivan reminded me. "And what do you mean by _if _you could fight hand to hand? Isn't that how you're teaching her? What other way is there, through dummies?" he snickered at the end.

"Yes," I said, dead serious.

"I – what? Seriously? You teach her by using dummies? Why the hell not actually hit her? Cause she's pregnant?"

I shook my head, but realized he couldn't see me. "No, it –" I hesitated. Would I be breaking her trust if I told Ivan about her rape? Maybe he could help me find who did it; he was at Court after all. And I knew if I asked, he'd keep it a secret...

"No, it's cause she's...I don't know, afraid, I guess? She's uncomfortable around guys, like panic attack, freak out, pass out, screaming, tears, kind of panic attack." I grimaced. "Trust me, I saw one. It's bad."

"Why?" Ivan sounded confused.

I sighed. "Can you keep your mouth shut about it? Like, tell no one, _ever_? Not even a whisper?"

"Uh – huh, I can totally do that. You know I can keep my mouth shut!" he said eagerly.

I took a deep breath. "She – she got raped, by her mother's old charge."

Silence followed my statement, and I had the feeling that Ivan was feeling terrible _(haha Ivan the Terrible...no? Nvm...) _about saying all those things about her earlier.

"Oh, man," he breathed finally. "I'm so sorry! I – I didn't mean to be such a dick earlier," he said, confirming my thoughts.

I sighed, _again. _What was with me and sighing today? "It's alright, man, you didn't know. Hell, I didn't know till this morning either. Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Sure, what?"

"Could you – actually, do you know who was Janine's last charge?"

"Yeah, some Ivashkov, I don't know who, though. I know he was younger though. And a player, but aren't all Ivashkovs?" He gave a little chuckle.

I ran a hand through my hair. That didn't really help. Well, it _did, _but not by much. At least I had it narrowed down to one family, although it was the biggest Royal family in the world...

"Can you try to find out who it is exactly?" I asked.

"Sure, no problem," Ivan replied. I heard sound in the background. "Hey, man I gotta go. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, bye. Be safe," I warned him. "I don't want the next I see you to be at your funeral."

Ivan laughed. "Something tells me you'll be going to Hathaway's funeral before mine."

I growled slightly under my breath. "Don't joke about that kind of stuff, dude. I'm teaching her daughter; I'd rather not be the one to tell her that her mother is dead."

"Yeah, sorry," Ivan said quietly. We were both silent for a moment, then he said, "Anyway, bye."

"Yeah, bye." We hung up at the same time.

I lay on my bed, thinking for a while, before deciding it was time to go to bed. It had been a long day. I changed into my pajamas, which consisted of a pair of striped thermal pj pants, and nothing else. I crawled into bed after setting my alarm for the morning, and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

><p><em>AN: a bit short, but a lot of people wanted to hear from Ivan, so there you go. Hope I didn't disappoint. I think I can promise you another chapter sometime over the weekend; I don't have school tomorrow, so I'll probably write it then. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it helped write this chapter. _

_ If you like drabbles, you should check out my other fanfic, My Wish. It's pretty good, if I say so myself :P but anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know through your reviews, and if you have any idea, and hopefully see you sometime this weekend (: _


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead :**  
><strong>

The next couple weeks passed without incident. Rose became even more used to my presence, to the point where I could stand a little less than two feet away before she couldn't handle it any more. It was the closest any man had gotten to her since the rape. Unfortunately, it only applied to me; the closest any other man had gotten to her was four feet, even her friends. But all in all, she was making progress.

As the weeks passed, I also learned a lot more about her. Her sarcasm and jokes never failed to amuse me. I got the hang of dealing with her pregnancy hormones, and was usually rewarded by learning something else about her. And oh, was there a lot to learn.

I found out that Janine dropped her off at the Academy when she was four years old, she met Vasilisa when they were five, and became instant friends. Most of this I knew, of course, but other things I had no idea about. Like she stayed at the Academy until she was ten years old, waiting for her mom to visit her, or take her during vacations. Once she turned ten, she finally left for Christmas vacation with the Dragomirs. When I heard that my heart broke a little for her. I couldn't imagine not seeing my family every vacation when I was in school, let alone not seeing them for several years, not knowing if they were alive or not. I wouldn't be able to do it.

We touched on the accident a little bit, the accident that killed the Dragomir's. She saw them as family, and talking about it made her sad, and I did my best to avoid things that made her sad. She told me that after the accident, her mother tried to have a relationship with her but it didn't last long; they escaped a few months after the accident.

She told me about last year, after they were captured, how Vasilisa's "uncle" Victor Dashkov tortured Vasilisa into healing him. When Rose told me this story, I saw red I was so angry. I had heard of what happened, of course, but I never knew all the details. I was glad that he's in jail now.

We never talked about the rape, and only rarely mentioned the summer she spent with her mother. Ivan also hadn't been able to find out who Janine's ex-charge was. Apparently, Janine wasn't comfortable talking about it and he had been too busy dealing with other stuff to properly look it up. I understood that; I remembered how busy he could get, to the point where he forgot to even eat. So the mystery of her rapist remained just that, a mystery.

There were rumors going around about Rose, and often I would see her come in near tears because of something she heard. I knew that if she wasn't pregnant and hormonal, the rumors wouldn't really bother her, or bring her to tears. Then again, if she wasn't pregnant, then there would be no rumors, but still.

There was a particular rumor that seemed to hit her hard: the rumor that she was a blood whore. She had often cried about that, which led me to believe that the Moroi, whoever he was, had bitten her while he raped her. I never asked and she never told me but sometimes, when she had her hair up, and the sun hit her neck just right, I could see faint scars on it which made me wonder, exactly how bad was it?

* * *

><p>I was crossing the courtyard after practice with Rose, when I saw her up ahead. I saw another person, a male Moroi by the looks of it, come up to her and stop a few feet away. He said something, then stepped closer. I watched. The wind blew against my back, so I couldn't hear what was said, but I could see the queasy expression on Rose's face as he got closer. I started towards them as Rose's expression turned from uneasy to slightly panicked. She started backing up as he came closer to her, almost as close as I usually was, which was my tip off that it was not a friendly situation.<p>

** "– **clearly didn't mind the other times," the guy said, smirking, as I came up to them. His attention was solely on Rose, who looked completely terrified at his proximity now, and was about to scream. In fact, it looked like she was keeping the screams at bay as tears poured down her cheeks, her eyes wide with terror.

Something in me broke in that instant. I came up to the kid, and grabbed him by the shirt; lifting him up to eye level. All of a sudden, he didn't look so cocky anymore.

** "**What's your name?" I snarled, glaring into his now terrified eyes. Good, I hoped he was as scared now as he made Roza feel.

** "**J – Jes – Jesse Z – Zeklos, sir," he stuttered out. Oops, Ivan's second cousin. Oh well.

** "**What is it that you think you are doing Jesse Zeklos? It is clear that Miss Hathaway doesn't want to talk to you," I said, my voice menacing.

** "**I – I was j – just t – talking, n – nothing more," he replied.

** "**Good, then why don't you leave and never do that again because, clearly, Miss Hathaway doesn't find you company pleasurable. And if I find you bothering her again, you will be punished. Severely. By me. And I promise, it _will _hurt."

He nodded frantically. I set him down, and he shot away, faster than I had ever seen a Moroi move. I watched him, trying to control my anger. How dare he scare Roza? How dare he even _look _at Roza?

_Whoa! Down, there, boy, calm down. Why does it matter? I mean, yeah she's fragile but since when did she become Roza? Don't you mean _Rose, _your student, who _does not, _I repeat, _does not _have any nicknames?_

I ignored the voice in my head, instead turning around to see if Rose was alright.

** "**Are you okay?" I asked softly, looking at her with concern. Her eyes were still abnormally large, her face was still slightly pale, and her breathing wasn't completely even, but she didn't look like she was about to pass out at least.

She nodded jerkily. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright." She swallowed, then licked her lips. She finally looked up at me. "Thank you," she said softly, looking at me with gratitude.

I smiled at her tenderly. "Nothing to thank me for. Just let me know if he, or anyone else bothers you okay? I'll take care of them. You don't need to deal with the stress."

She nodded, smiling at me gratefully.

* * *

><p>RPOV:<p>

As I was walking back from afternoon training with Dimitri, Jesse Zeklos walked up to me. He stopped a few feet away, and called out "Hey Rose, how's the pregnancy going? Getting lonely yet?"**  
><strong>He walked closer to me. "Cause if you are, I can keep you warm. Even pregnant, you're hot." He leered at me.

I backed away as he came closer. "How 'bout a bite? To spice things up?"

He was too close, too close, too close. I could feel my heart beating faster as he came even closer than Dimitri could. I held back the scream that threatened to escape. Actually, by this point I was so scared, there was no air in my lungs to scream with. I felt tears gather in my eyes at his proximity.

Flashbacks of _him _came to me. Him getting close to me, calling me into his room for help. Him locking the door, him looking into my eyes, those green eyes of his which were so captivating. Telling me to lay down on the bed, fighting the compulsion as I realized what it was. Him holding me down, me screaming, begging, crying, my body not working properly through my fear, him –

** "**Come on Rose, play along, I wanna have a fun time. You clearly didn't mind the other times," he smirked.

All of a sudden, Jesse disappeared from in front of me. I looked up to see Dimitri, looking all God-like, lifting Jesse up by his shirt.

** "**What's your name?" he snarled, glaring into Jesse's now terrified eyes.

** "**J – Jes – Jesse Z – Zeklos, sir," he stuttered out.

** "**What is it that you think you are doing Jesse Zeklos? It is clear that Miss Hathaway doesn't want to talk to you," he said, his voice menacing.

** "**I – I was j – just t – talking, n – nothing more," he replied.

** "**Good, then why don't you leave and never do that again because, clearly, Miss Hathaway doesn't find you company pleasurable. And if I find you bothering her again, you will be punished. Severely. By me. And I promise, it _will _hurt." Dimitri sounded truly badass.

He nodded frantically. Dimitri set him down, and he shot away, faster than I had ever seen a Moroi moved. Faster than Dimitri had appeared, even.

Dimitri continued watching Jesse leave, and I watched with him. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was trying to control his anger.

My eyes were still widened, and my heart was still beating fast, but having Dimitri there calmed me down.

** "**Are you okay?" he asked softly, looking at me with concern.

I nodded a bit jerkily. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright." I swallowed, then licked my lips. I finally looked up at him. "Thank you," I said softly, looking at him with gratitude. I could never thank him enough for saving me, again.

He smiled at me with tenderness. "Nothing to thank me for. Just let me know if he, or anyone else bothers you okay? I'll take care of them. You don't need to deal with the stress."

I nodded, smiling at him gratefully. I felt my eyes fill up with tears at his kindness, and cursed my hormones. I sniffled and he looked at me with concern, worried once more.

** "**Roza, are you alright?" His hand reached out as if to wipe off my tears, but stopped.

I swallowed a sob. "Yeah, yeah, fine," I said, wiping my own tears, and ignoring the sick feeling I got when he pulled his hand away. I knew why he did that, because I would have freaked out, but it didn't make me feel any better.

** "**Sorry," I sniffled. "Stupid hormones." I laughed shakily, swiping at more tears.

He smiled his breathtakingly beautiful smile. "It's alright, I know how it is."

I raised my eyebrows, attempting a joke. "Really, Comrade? You know what it's like to have pregnancy hormones? Is there something you're _not _telling me?"

He chuckled. "Oh, yes, absolutely," he said sarcastically. "I know exactly what it's like, I've gone through it several times myself."

I laughed at how almost sincere his voice was. He grinned when he heard me laugh.

** "**There, better?" he asked, his eyes soft, and his guardian mask almost completely down.

I nodded, and smiled up at him. "Thank you again," I giggled. _Giggled?! _Rosemarie Hathaway doesn't _giggle! _Damn hormones!

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Good for him, because if he had he might have ended up a leg shorter. And I'm not talking about his right _or _his left leg. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

** "**Shall I walk you back to your dorm, milady?" He asked, trying to imitate an English accent. Which, mixed with his Russian accent, came out incredibly hilarious! I started giggling again (shut up) and nodded. He offered me his arm, and I mimed taking it, stilling giggling. (I said _shut up_) He walked me all the way to my dorm room, the whole time pretending to have my hand in the crook of his arm. The effect was hilarious, and people gave him odd looks as he walked along, me a couple feet to his right. Once we reached my door, he opened it with a flourish.

** "**There you go, milady," he said gallantly, sweeping his arm forward, indicating for me walk in. his position against the wall gave me the perfect amount of space to walk into my room. It touched my heart, how he made staying away from me the perfect distance look so effortless. I smiled at him gratefully, giving him my true smile, at the receiving end of which he seemed to be often.

** "**I shall see you at dinner," he said, keeping up the act, although a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

** "**Why thank you, kind sir," I said, giggling again. (_Ssshh!) _He smiled at that, one of his full smiles that seemed to light up the entire room. He closed the door gently, taking one last look at me. I kept smiling as I changed out of my clothes and hopped into a much needed shower. Dimitri certainly knew how to make my day.

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><p><em>AN: I hope you all like this chapter, a little Romitri fluff. It was important, since you got to see how Rose was around other guys that weren't her friends. That, and I'm sure everyone wanted to see Dimitri go all badass on Jesse (; now, I have a dilemma; I need some ideas for chapter 11 cuz I have a big thing happening in chapter 12, but I don't have any ideas for chapter 11, and I can't put my idea for chapter 12 any sooner, cuz it would be too early. So please let me know if you have any ideas, anything at all, it would be greatly appreciated (: thank you to all my lovely reviewers, you keep this story going!_**  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

Just as Dimitri had told him, Jesse left me completely alone in the following days. It was a nice change, since he would constantly make flirty remarks that tended to be downright vulgar and annoying. Dimitri now almost always walked me to my room after every training session, and was always a little ways away from my table, watching for trouble. Ordinarily, that kind of over protective behavior would irritate me, but with Dimitri, I knew that he meant well, and that nobody would bother me if he was around, which was a welcome change. For the first time in months, I was able to relax, knowing Lissa, my baby, and I were safe.

This peace lasted for the next week or so, until Janine decided to visit.

I walked into training one morning about a week after the Jesse incident, to find Dimitri talking to a tall Moroi guy about his age. The guy had light brown hair and beautiful blue green eyes like a stormy sea. He was a couple inches shorter than Dimitri, and it was clear by the way he was dressed that he had money.

The two of them were talking like old friends, so I came to the conclusion that this was Ivan, Dimitri's best friend and former charge.

Dimitri looked up when I dropped my stuff on the ground and smiled.

"Rose! There you are, you're ten minutes late!" he called out, not moving from his spot. I took this to mean that it was my move; if I wanted to get closer to this new guy, I was welcome to, but I didn't have to.

"Sorry, Comrade, my alarm clock was having difficulties this morning," I joked, walking slowly toward them.

"Oh, really? Did it have another battle with the wall?" he challenged, his voice teasing.

I looked at him seriously and nodded. "Uh – huh; this one lost too." I sighed dramatically. "I can't find a worthy opponent for my wall – they all lose no matter what." I pretended to be sad.

Dimitri laughed his beautiful laugh. "Don't worry, Roza, I'll find you an alarm clock that will withstand even a beating by the wall – one that's caused by you," he promised. I had never seen Dimitri in such high spirits. Yes, he was usually fun to be around, but he was also slightly guarded. That's not to say he wasn't now, because he was; he watched the entire area, since there was a Moroi around, but his personality was more open than usually. He laughed much easier, and I knew it was because his friend was here. Speaking of...

I turned to the Moroi. "Are you the infamous Ivan Zeklos Dimitri talks so reverently about?" I joked.

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "He talks reverently about me? Really? Huh. Is there something you're not telling me, Dimitri?" he played along.

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've been waiting for this day for many years, Ivan!" he exclaimed dramatically. "I love you with all my heart, my dearest Ivan. You're the only one for me!" he pressed his hands to his heart to emphasize his point.

Ivan struggled to keep a straight face, while I was practically dying with laughter. "You feel that way about me Dimitri, really? Oh, I've waited so long for you to say those words! I thought you never would!" he cried out in a girly voice, then threw his arms around Dimitri, like a lover would. By this point I was rolling on the floor from laughing too much.

Ivan pulled away from Dimitri and took a step towards me, but Dimitri stopped him with his arm, and shook his head. Instead, Dimitri walked over to me and stood as close as he could.

"You alright there, Roza?" he asked his voice filled with amusement. I noticed that this was the second time that he'd called me Roza today. I knew he only called me that on rare occasions, when he was feeling affectionate, or when he was trying to make me feel better. Sometimes I don't think he even realized that he called me that, but I felt a thrill go through me every time he called me that.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, doing my best to not show him how that name affected me.

We joked around for a few minutes, before the gym door opened.

Janine Hathaway walked in.

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><p><em>AN: Okay, so I was planning on making this chapter much longer, but once I reached this part, I saw it as a perfect place to stop. Sorry about not updating too often; I promise you a chapter by the end of the week, popssibley even two. Tell what you think! Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, a special thank you to Nellyrose1994, I really liked your ideas, I'll definitely be using the second one within the story (: hope you all liked this chapter, I'll be working on the next one ASAP._


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does. Please read the A/N at the end (I know it's long, but bear with me, please)

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><p>RPOV:<p>

Everything seemed to freeze as my mother walked into the gym. What was she doing here? The three of us watched silently as she made her way over to us. Janine looked at me, her guardian mask seeming a bit out of whack, not completely there.

"Rose..." She said hesitantly, looking at me hopefully.

I wiped all emotion off my face, something I had gotten surprisingly good at. "Hello Guardian Hathaway," I replied coldly, then turned away to look at Dimitri.

"So Comrade, what are we doing today?" I asked cheerfully, although my mood had dropped through the floor, and was now burning in hell.

Dimitri gave me a mildly guilty look. "Um, well, I decided to cancel the lesson when Ivan arrived. I figured that well, I kind of wanted to talk to him a bit, since this will probably be the last time we see each other for a while, and he came just as I got here, and you were ten minutes late, so I had no way of telling you the lesson was canceled..." He trailed off, looking nervous.

I swallowed. "Well, how about that move you promised to show me last night?" I asked, giving him a look that said _do it or else I will murder you _personally in_ your sleep...I will find a way. _His responding look was slightly frightened; it seemed that he understood and believed what I was trying to say.

"Um, okay, so if you were to stand like this..." Dimitri came over and stood close to me as usual as he showed me the move.

"Guardian Belikov, would it not be more prudent for you to actually let her try the move on you, as opposed to the dummy? That way you can truly see and experience whether she did it right or not." Janine interrupted. I had almost succeeded in forgetting she was there as I tried to focus on the new moved. Her voice shattered all those pretty dreams. I watched sadly as they flew away...

Dimitri's jaw clenched as he looked at me quizzically. _Doesn't she know? _I answered his unspoken question with a slight shake of my head. His eyes flared with anger.

"Well, Guardian Hathaway, I would, but Rose isn't comfortable around men as of yet." He replied in a calm voice.

Janine looked shocked. "What? What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

I snorted with disdain. "Well, you see mother dearest, he not only got me pregnant, he also left a parting gift of a phobia of men, because of which no man can be closer than 5 feet to me, the exception being Dimitri, of course."

You could hear a pin drop. I was breathing hard as I looked at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ivan look surprised, but not shocked, which led me to believe that Dimitri had told him at least something about my situation, if not of my phobia. Janine simply looked bamboozled. She probably would have been less astonished if I had shot her, a scenario that appeared highly appealing at the moment.

"I-what?" Janine was speechless. Any other time, that would have made me do a victory dance, but right now, I wanted to be anywhere but here.

I swallowed, then turned back to Dimitri, begging with my eyes. "So how about that move?"

He looked at me for several moments, then nodded tersely. "Go on."

I showed him, and he watched, correcting me when need be. This continued on like any other lesson, except for the audience we had. Ivan eventually loosened up slightly, and made jokes and teased the two of us, allowing things to go back to something resembling normal. At the end of the lesson, we weren't even trying to work; the three of us were sprawled out on the floor, the guys just a few feet away from me, talking, joking and laughing. My mother stood by the wall, forgotten.

I managed to avoid my mom for the rest of the day. I walked to afternoon practice, praying she wouldn't be there again. When I walked into the gym, I saw that she wasn't there, but Ivan, once again, was.

"Little Rosie!" Ivan exclaimed when he was me. "What a coincidence!"

I glared at him. "Ivan, I think I should let you know that the last person who called me Rosie ended up in the hospital with a broken jaw, broken nose, two black eyes, and a fractured rib."

Ivan's face paled considerably, then cleared. "Oh, but you can't hurt me," he said, throwing my inability to get close to him in my face.

I gave him a slightly deranged smile that had him cringing. "That's why I have _friends," _I said in a creepy voice, still smiling. His eyes widened, and he looked terrified. Cool.

Dimitri decided to come in at that moment. He looked between the two of us and side. "Rose, what have I told you about frightening poor defenseless little boys?" he said, mock sternly.

I pretended to hang my head in shame. "Sorry Dimitri, I won't frighten him next time, just shake him up," I looked up with a grin. Dimitri shook his head with amusement.

Ivan, on the other hand, seemed highly offended. "Who are you calling a poor defenseless little boy?"

Both Dimitri and I cracked up laughing at how offended, and almost hurt, his voice sounded.

"Hey! It's not funny! I was just emasculated by my best friend in front of a gorgeous girl!"

That made us laugh even harder. "Oh, you know I love you," Dimitri gasped out between laughs.

"Hm," Ivan pretended to turned up his nose snobbishly.

I kept giggling, Dimitri's laugh making me laugh more than the actual joke.

"Oh, no, he doesn't believe me!" Dimitri cried out, putting his hands to his heart dramatically. "Whatever will I do?" he pretended to look at me beseechingly.

I shook my head, chuckling. "Oh, no, Comrade, you got yourself into this, I'm not helping you out," I tried to keep a straight face but failed when put on a face of pure hurt

"But Roza!" he whined.

I sighed dramatically. "Alright." I made the come hither motion with my fingers, and he came forward as close as he could. I cupped my hands around my mouth and pretended to whisper in his ear. "Go up to him and wrap your arms around him, and tell him how special he is, then give'im a big ol' smooch right on the sucker!" I put my hand over my mouth to cover up my laughter as Dimitri took my words with utter seriousness, and walked up to Ivan, doing exactly what I said to do.

Dimitri snuck up behind Ivan, who had turned his back to us. Dimitri wrapped his arms around Ivan, who jumped, startled, then proceeded to say quietly, "Oh, Ivan, you're the best person in the world, you're a wonderful friend, and I love you!" then, Dimitri tried to kiss him, but by that point Ivan had already recovered, and pushed Dimitri away as fast as he could. The look on his face was priceless! I couldn't hold it in any more, and burst out laughing.

Dimitri joined in when he got a good look at Ivan's face. "Oh, that was priceless!" I gasped out, tears pooling in my eyes.

Dimitri nodded, unable to speak. Ivan finally got over his shock and disgust, and started chuckling with us.

"Real funny, guys," he said drily. "I'm rolling on the ground with barely contained glee."

This made us laugh even harder, by which point we really were rolling on the ground with barely contained glee. It took a while for us to finally calm down. Even afterward, small giggles would burst through, although I think that had more to do with my hormones than me. It suddenly dawned on me that I was almost three months along now. That thought sobered me up. In only 2 more months, I would be rendered useless. I frowned as I thought this.

"What's up Roza? Why the long face?" Ivan asked playfully, with an undertone of seriousness.

I shook my head and opened my mouth to answer him when the gym door opened.

"Lord Zeklos, we must get ready to depart," Guardian Hathaway said formally, striding into the gym, her face carefully controlled by her meticulous guardian mask.

Ivan looked at me with genuine concern for a moment, but he knew I wouldn't say anything with my mother around.

He looked back to Janine and nodded. "Be right there."

She nodded and turned on her heel, walking over to the wall, giving us some privacy. I wondered where she had been all day, and the thought that she had always been by Ivan, hidden in the shadows, bothered me somehow. Maybe it was because she had been here all day and hadn't really made an attempt to talk to me even though I had yelled at her this morning. Maybe it was because she just really annoyed me. I didn't know, and I didn't really want to analyze my feelings at this moment in time, so I pushed it to the back of my head and focused on the present again.

Dimitri and Ivan were saying a goodbye in Russian, and I became slightly frustrated as I couldn't understand. I felt one of my mood swings coming on as tears filled my eyes.

"Ivan, I'm gonna miss you so much!" I cried out, a tear falling from my eye as I stepped closer to them, but still keeping a safe distance away.

Ivan looked up, seeming scared at the tone of my voice. "Oh, uh, I'll miss you too Rose," he said awkwardly, clearly at a loss as to what to do with teary me. This just made me feel worse because I felt like he didn't really care.

"I-I'm s-sorry," I hiccuped, my voice thick. "It's just, I've had s-so m-much f-f-fun with you around, and I-I'm g-gon-gonna m-miss that."

Dimitri whispered something into Ivan's ear, and Ivan nodded slightly, his face softening.

"Oh, Rose I'm gonna miss laughing with you too," he said sadly. "It was really awesome. We'll have to get together again sometimes in the future."

I nodded, tears pouring down my face. I laughed wetly. "I'm sorry," I sniffled. "Damn hormones," I chuckled through a sob, wiping away my tears. "I'd give you a hug, but well..." I shrugged, trailing off lamely.

Ivan chuckled. "I understand. Maybe next time I visit, you'll be able to give me a hug _and _a kiss," he winked, and I smiled, my tears finally stopping.

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

He nodded. "Anytime, Rosi- er, Rose," he saved himself just in time.

I glared at him, and he smiled back angelically. "Any-hoo," he said, "Bye Dimitri, talk to you later." he gave Dimitri a man hug, then turned to me. "Bye Rose," he blew me a kiss, then walked to the door, waving like some celebrity.

"Until next time!" he called out just before the gym door shut after him, and I couldn't help but laugh at his exit.

Dimitri and I stood in silence for a few moments after Ivan's departure. Then Dimitri turned to me.

"You know, you should make peace with her before she leaves," he said, in his old-and-wise voice.

I shook my head. "No, what she did, or actually _failed _to do will take a long time to forgive, and I'm far from ready to do that just yet."

He looked at me curiously. "What exactly did she not do?" he asked.

I looked away. "Stop it from happening when she was on the other side of the door knocking." With that, I turned around and left, letting him dwell on my words. I walked to the commons, hoping there was some food there, although I didn't really want to eat any more. I had to, for the baby.

DPOV:

I watched Rose leave, her words still ringing in my ears. '_Stop it from happening when she was on the other side of the door knocking'? What does that mean? Was Janine really on the other die of the door knocking, and didn't stop it? Didn't she realize what was happening? How do you not notice it when your daughter is crying out 'stop it'? Or maybe Rose didn't...maybe she didn't get the chance. _I brooded for a while, before coming to the conclusion that wondering would get me no where. When Rose was ready, she would tell me what was going on in that pretty head of hers. Until then, I would just drive myself crazy trying to figure out a mystery the details of which I didn't know I really wanted to know. (_Did that sentence make any sense?) _I sighed as I walked out of the gym, a small smiling tugging on my lips as I thought about the day with my best friend. I was glad he had visited, and that him and Rose hit it off so well. I hadn't heard Rose laugh like that, and that much, ever. It was great to see her loosen up and have a little fun, instead off suffering under the pressure of all the rumors, and taunts, the training, and the pregnancy. She was almost three months along, and only had two more until she was off of training until the baby was born, but a lot could happen in three months. I just hoped it was all good.

It was almost three weeks after Ivan's visit when I got the text.

The three weeks had passed by without a hitch. Rose seemed chipper than usual, and our trainings became more upbeat. Rose soaked up the knowledge like a sponge, and I was happy to have such an eager student. Although, it was clear at this stage that we were more like friends than mentor-student. There were times when she would come up to me in the middle of the day to tell me something, trying to find comfort, which I always gave her. Several times she had actually come up to my room when a particularly nasty mood swing hit, and more often than not I found her beating a punching bag in the gym. I found myself confiding in her as well, not only feeling the need to return the favor of trust, but also wanting her to know me. This was slightly dangerous, as I hardly ever truly let anyone in, and the fact that Rose was my student made things slightly more complicate, especially considering the fact that she was a beautiful girl about whom I had often had to stop certain thoughts that would not only get me fired, but also thrown in jail. But despite my misgivings about being close to her, I couldn't help myself. She was so pure and good and beautiful, inside and out, that I felt like a moth drawn to light. She was always the first person I talked to in the morning, and sometimes the last person I talked to at night. I had given her my cell number so that she could call me whenever she needed me, and that was quite often. As the baby grew, so did her appetite, and I had to make sure that she was eating healthy, which was surprisingly hard. All in all, she listened to mostly everything I told her, and I was usually the only one who could calm her down during her mood swings.

As we grew closer, I renewed my efforts to try to find out who Janine's last charge, a highly difficult task.

Which why, when I got a text from Ivan in the middle of lunch, I was ecstatic.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, and glanced down, expecting to see Rose's name, but was mildly surprised to see Ivan's. He hardly ever texted me, unless he was in the middle of a meeting and had important information.

I opened the text, and my mood promptly shot up to excited in less than a second.

_Found out who Janine's last charge was. Call u tonite. Ivan._

I swallowed, suddenly nervous. Did I really want to know who it was? Of course! I wanted to killed the bastard that dared to touch my Roza in that way. _Whoa, whoa..._YOUR _Rose? Since when was she _yours_? _I shook off my thoughts. I couldn't wait till Ivan called me. The rest of the day was spend in suspense as I waited for his phone call. But as evening rolled around and the sun began turning the sky just the tiniest bit bright, there was still no phone call.

I waited and wait, pacing around my room. Maybe he was just late. Maybe he got sidetracked. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But I was starting to get a bad feeling in my stomach. Finally, sometimes around midnight, when the sun was midway across the sky at the highest point, the phone rang. I picked it up immediately.

"Hello?"

That was when I got the phone called that broke me.

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><p><em>AN: Okay, okay, I'm really really sorry for dropping off the face of the earth again, I've just been really busy. So what do you think? What was the phone call that could break the great Dimitri Belikov I'll give you a hint: it's not Rose! (: thank you thank you thank you all for your reviews! I hit a hundred! I was ecstatic when I saw that! Oh, I was wondering, if anybody actually reads this, if anyone could write a Rose/Dimitri fanfiction based on the song Laughed until we cried by Jason Aldean. It's a great song, really sweet, and you could go many ways with it. I'd really like to see it done, and you're probably wonder why can't I do it myself? Cause I have two fanfics to write, and I'm too busy with other crap to start another. Plus, I have no ideas for it. So someone else should do it, and I promise to review every chapter! please, do so if you could, it would be greatly appreciated (: until next time, and I promise not to wait so long this time! 3_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I walked over to the Academy's private jet, hitching my duffel bag higher onto my shoulder. I felt a heavy weight rest on my shoulders. It was like I was suffocating, a crushing force squeezing my lungs together. Once I reached the jet, I stood off to the side as it was being prepared for take off.

I was standing there, simply breathing, when I heard running foot steps come up to me. I looked up to see Rose running towards me. I looked at her puzzled.

"Rose, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice rough, as she skidded to a stop beside me.

"I'm coming with you," She huffed out.

I looked at her blankly. "Why?"

She just stared at me for a moment. "My mom," she finally answered.

I turned away, clenching my jaw. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice raw.

"It's okay," she said softly. "It wasn't your fault."

I shook my head. "If I had been there – "

"You would have died right along with him," Rose interrupted me.

I shook my head again, not answering. The pilot called out to board the plane, and I started walking onto it. Several other people were going too, almost all of which were Royals, hence the use of the jet. I sat in an empty seat in the back, away from everybody. I felt like hell. I'd been a mess since the phone call. I couldn't help but think it was my fault.

As I sat staring out the window, I felt someone sit down a seat away from me. After a few minutes, they put there hand on my arm. I spun around in shock.

Now, the fact that someone did that didn't shock me. It didn't really bother me. The thing that had shocked me was _who's _hand it was. Actually, it wasn't even that. It was the _feeling _of the hand on my arm that made me jerk around.

Sitting there, looking like she was seconds away from either crying, screaming, or throwing up, or even all three, was Rose. Her eyes were wide open with fear, she had sweat on her forehead, she was sitting as far away from me as physically possible, and yet...she had her hand on my arm in a comforting manor.

Rose looked up at me anxiously, asking with her eyes if I was okay. This made me feel lower than the lowest scum. Here I was, wallowing in self pity, while my best friend was dead, about to be six feet under, and this goddess of a girl, afraid of getting close to men, pregnant, mostly likely mourning the fact that her mother was in a coma, and she was _comforting me. _I was pathetic.

Rose stared into my eyes, her body tense, frozen, but her eyes spoke legions. With the barest pressure, she squeezed my arm.

"It's alright," she said in a raspy whisper. I tried to give her a smile.

"You don't have to do that Roza," I murmured. I felt my forehead crease with concern. I didn't want her to hurt herself for me.

She just shook her head and squeezed my arm again, trying to scoot further away.

"I'll be fine." this came out from gritted teeth, and I could tell it took everything in her not to run away screaming, or not burst into tears.

As I watched her struggle, a warm feeling filled my chest. I was touched that she cared enough to comfort me even when it caused her such and unsavory reaction. I wanted to do something in return, anything, but settled for relaxing my arm, and shifting away, so now there was about two feet between us, the only part of our bodies that were close were my arm and her hand.

As we flew to Court, I made myself the promise that I would never let anything happen to my charge. No matter what. The fact the my charge was also Rose's best friend just made me that much more protective.

The entire plane ride Rose kept her hand on my arm. After about an hour, she started to relax slightly. By the end, while she wasn't totally relaxed, she was no longer tense, or pale, and she even looked mildly happy. The sight of her happiness lifted my spirits slightly. I was glad she wasn't miserable.

The happy feelings all but vanished as we walked into Court. It was an amazing place, one I enjoyed exploring, but the fact that I was here for Ivan's funeral kind of put a damper on things. Rose veered off from the rest of the groups as we made our way toward guest housing to stay there until the funeral.

"Rose!" I caught up to her, staying the standard distance away. "Where are you going?"

"To see my mom," she said quietly, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

"Oh," I said softly.

She hesitated, then looked up at me. "What – what exactly happened? I mean, all I really know is there was a Strigoi attack, Ivan died, and my mom is in a comma. You don't have to tell me right now, I was just wonder," she added hurriedly.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly, recalling what my friend Darius told me. "There was a Strigoi attack," I began, opening my eyes to look at her. "It was just the three of them, Ivan, Janine, and his other guardian, Lance. 5 Strigoi attacked, Lance killed one, but the other one snuck up and snapped his neck. Janine killed two of the Strigoi, but the last two were old, and strong. They attacked her together, and one of them drank her blood until she passed out. By the time more guardians got there, it was too late to save Ivan, and they barely managed to get Janine to the clinic." I took another deep breath as I finished the story.

Rose stayed quiet, but I could see she was trying not to cry. She now into her second trimester. I was astonished that she wasn't freaking out right now, but if I learned anything in the past couple of months it was that Rose was a lot stronger than anybody gave her credit.

We reached the infirmary in silence. The receptionist looked up at us expectantly.

"I – I'm here to see Janine Hathaway," Rose stumbled out, barely keeping her composure.

The receptionist's eyes widened. "Oh, are you her daughter?"

Rose nodded, and sniffled a little bit.

The receptionist's face softened. "Go on in, honey, it's room 16."

Rose nodded again, and looked at her gratefully. She looked over her shoulder at me, her eyes questioning. Wordlessly, I followed her.

Once we reached the room, Rose finally broke down at the sight of her mother. I myself faltered at the sight before me.

Janine Hathaway, strong, fierce Janine Hathaway, was laying amongst wires and needles, machines surrounding her. Her usual large presents, which always compensated for her lack of height, was missing, showing exactly how small she was. She was deathly pale, her bright red hair a jolt of color against the purest white. It was the only color in the whole room, which was soft greens, and bright whites. One monitor showed her heartbeat, she had an IV drip, and that was the extent of my hospital knowledge. Rose had sank down where she was in the middle of the room when she caught sight of her mother, but she now stood up and walked over to her bedside.

Rose sat down on the chair by the bed, holding her mother's hand tightly in her own, her knuckles turning white with the pressure. Silent tears streaked down her face. Her lips trembled. My heart broke at the sight of her. Slowly, I walked over and grabbed a chair that had been sitting by the wall and set it down by the foot of the bed, and looked at Roza.

RPOV:

Seeing my mother like this, tiny, helpless, shattered me. I always thought that she was invincible, that no matter what, I would always have her. That's what made being mad at her so easy.

But now there was a chance that I could never see her again, never talk to her again, never see her open her eyes. And that thought sacred the hell out of me. It made me shake with fear, and for the first time in my life pray. Pray to God, or whoever was up there, to let her live, to at least give me the chance to say _I love you _and _good bye. _Even, _I forgive you. _I suddenly realized how petty it was for me to blame my rape on her. This sudden epiphany came with painful clarity; I had wasted the last time I saw her, possibly the last time I will ever see her, blaming her for something completely out of my control. There was no way she could have known that he was raping me. She herself said she was used to hearing sex sounds coming from his room, and thought that's all there was. She had no idea it was me. She had no idea that the cries were cries for help, not of pleasure. And when I had got out of his room, I simply shut everyone out. No one was allowed into my room. I didn't come out. By the time I did, a week after, the physical wounds were all but healed, he was normal, and it was too late to stop the pregnancy without hurting the baby.

My mother was so confused when I shut her out, no when I openly snubbed her. She was hurt, I could see that much, but it made me feel better. I was glad she was hurting, glad she felt at least a fraction of what I felt.

It just got worse when I found out I was pregnant. I somehow put the blame on her, saying if she had stopped it when she had the chance, none of this would have happened.

How wrong I was. I wished now that I could take all of it back, every word. I wished I could take all of it back and replace it with words of love and how wonderful of a mother she was, and how glad I was that she was there for me. I vowed that if she ever woke up, my last words to her would be I love you, no matter how angry I was.

I looked up at Dimitri to find his eyes burning into mine. I could see that it physically hurt him to not comfort me, and actually needed the comfort. So I stretched out my hand, and he met me halfway. Our fingers twined together, resting on the hospital bed. I tensed slightly, but as time went on, I relaxed. A warm feeling spread throughout my body, originating at the point of contact with Dimitri's hand. It felt like tiny shocks traveling up and down my arm, going to the rest of my body. It helped calm me, at the same time as it made my heart pound, and my breathing speed up. Looking at Dimitri, I could see he was feeling the same thing as me. He had a look of wonder which he was desperately trying to cover up, but I could read him like a book. I could see at exactly what point he realized that hiding his emotion was pointless with only me in the room because he dropped his guardian mask and just looked at me, speaking with his eyes.

We stayed that way, hands linked, gazing into each others eyes, until it was time for Ivan's funeral.

* * *

><p><em>AN: yup, I killed Ivan. I'm sorry, I felt like he was a necessary sacrifice. Next chapter, Rose's mom wakes up, or dies, not sure which just yet :P and in a couple more you get to meet the rapist! Yay! What do you think of Dimitri moving in with Rose once she's about 5-6 months along? You know, to make sure she's okay ;) after she's totally comfortable, of course. Thank you all for you reviews! I've never had that many reviews in such a short time, or for one chapter! Thank you so much, you totally made my day! My goal now is to get 200 reviews by my birthday, May 10. maybe you could help me get there? ;) check out my new story, btw!_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

Dimitri and I spent a week at the Court. Between preparations for Ivan's funeral, and sitting, waiting for my mother to wake up, Dimitri had me train with other female guardians at the court. It was a serious improvement when I could actually practice the moves on another human being. I picked up the techniques faster, and was actually able to see how the moves were in battle, and how they affected my opponent. It also helped me perfect my stomach protection techniques; I was now positively sure no one could hurt my stomach.

My mother woke up on the third day of our stay. I was so happy, I started crying, although it didn't take much to set me off now. I immediately forgave my mom for everything, and she even shed a few tears. She was still in the hospital, and it would be a couple of months before she was able to leave, but at least she was no longer in a comma.

It was now Christmas and I was 4 months along. The Academy was going to let the students go to a ski lodge in Idaho for Christmas due to the increased number of Strigoi attacks.

After Ivan's death, Dimitri and I became closer than ever. He now had a tendency to touch me, small touches, of course, building up to bigger ones. A pat on the shoulder, a hand along my elbow, finger tips on my back. I didn't mind for two reasons. One, it helped become more comfortable around him to the point where each touch made me feel less uneasy, less shock, and more used to it. He could now wrap his arm around me and pull me briefly into his side.

The other reason was slightly more embarrassing; I simply liked it when he touched me. I liked the feel of hid large warm hand clasping my elbow as he showed me a move. Or the casual hand on my lower back, guiding me. Every time he touched me, little jolts made their way up my body, warming me as they went. It gave me a dangerous thrill, which I blamed on my hormone ridden body, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it had little to do with my hormones, and a ll of it to do with me.

One day, about a week before Christmas break, my mom came to visit with her charge. She appeared in my doorway, bright and early, before even training.

"Hey, Rose," she said, walking into my room.

"Hey mom," I replied as I stumbled around my room, getting ready for practice. We weren't really doing all that much, but ever since I began being able to handle some touching, Dimitri has attempted to fight with me, with mixed results.

"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously.

"Well, as you know, with the increased amount of Strigoi attacks, St. Vladmir's is going to the ski lodge in Idaho. My charge is also going, which means I will be too." she answered.

I looked at her excitedly. "We get to spend Christmas together?" I exclaimed happily.

Mom smiled. "Yes, that means we get to spend Christmas together."

"Well, we must have Christmas dinner together! You, me, Lissa, Sparky, Eddie, Mason, Mia, and Dimitri!" I was practically jumping with joy.

Mom laughed. "That's quite a list you've got there. But Guardian Belikov? Why him?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Well, his family is in Russia, and, as odd as it may sound, I'm like his only friend. And I trust him. Oh, and I'm comfortable around him, unlike any other guy." I grinned at her.

She looked surprised – and relieved. "Oh, you're getting over it?" she asked hopefully.

I nodded. "Yeah, sort of. I mean, I'm okay around Dimitri, but around any other guy...they can get closer now, within two feet. Sparky and Mason can get within one, although that's simply because they don't know the meaning of personal space," I joked.

Mom looked at me with concern. "They're not hurting you, right? Cause if they are, I'm going to kick their asses." she threatened.

I laughed. "No, mom, they'd never do that." I assured her. I checked the time. "Oh, crap, I gotta go to practice! Bye mom, see you later," I kissed her on the cheek and flew out of my room, or as well as I could with a four, almost five month baby in my stomach.

I made it to the gym in record time. I was glad the morning sickness finally went away; it had kicked my butt.

"Hey Comrade!" I called out as I made my way to the changing room.

"Hi Rose!" he called back.

I changed quickly and came back out. Practice was the usual, then breakfast, then onto class. As I walked into the classroom, I got a surprise. My mom and two other guardians were standing. _Yes! _I thought. _Free day of stories! _

Once everyone settle down, Stan told us that the guest guardians were going to tell us real life stories.

I waited patiently through the two guys' stories, impatient for my mom's. Once she was reached, she definitely didn't disappoint. By the end of the story, I was at the edge of my seat.

When she finished, everyone went wild, asking a million questions. I just sat quietly, listening to her explain, proud that that was my mom. _(quite different from the books, huh?)_

* * *

><p>When I went to afternoon practice, Dimitri sat there, reading a western.<p>

"Don't change," he said without looking up.

I looked at him quizzically. "Why not?" I asked.

He held up a finger. He kept reading until he flipped the page, then put a bookmark between the pages. "Because there's someone I want you to meet. A friend of mine." he finally said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Another one?"

He grimaced. "Don't say that Rose," he warned.

I looked away. "I'm sorry," I whimpered, biting my lip.

"Oh, Roza," he said softly, coming up to me and running a hand softly across my cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned into his hand. Warm little shocks traveled from his hand to my cheek, all the way to my chest, kick starting my heart into over drive. I swallowed again, this time for a completely different reason.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked, looking at me with concern. "Are you alright? Is it too much? Do you want me to move?" He started to move away, but I grabbed his hand, holding it there.

As soon as my brain caught up with my actions, I dropped his hand and pulled away blushing. "Sorry, I – I didn't mean – " I stuttered out.

"Don't worry about it," Dimitri said gently, looking at me with soft eyes. I looked back at him, something passing between. I started getting lost in his eyes, his beautiful, beautiful eyes like two oceans of chocolate, as deep as space, as bright as the sun.

I didn't realize we were unconsciously leaning towards each other until I noticed how close his face was to mine all of a sudden. The sight of him so close made my breath hitch. The sound of my uneven breath seemed to break the spell, and both of us immediately leaned away.

An awkward silence hung between us, the first awkward silence we've ever had.

"Um," he ran a hand through his hair. "Uh,"

I saved the day. "You were going to show me a friend of yours?" I supplied.

"What? Oh, oh, yeah, that," he stammered out.

I looked at him with shock. This is the first time I have ever seen him so shaken and disoriented.

"Come on," he said, seeming to come back to himself. He walked out of the gym with me trailing behind him.

He led me to the edge of campus, almost to the ward line.

"Are you taking me somewhere private where no one would ever find me or hear me and have your way with me?" I joked, bumping my shoulder against his – or more like his elbow since he was so tall.

He simply gave me a look. "Not funny Roza," he muttered.

I sighed. He had a point.

We walked until we reached a cabin. I was surprised to see it there. "Why is there a random cabin out in the woods? My theory about you having your way with me in the woods is sounding more and more plausible," I smirked when he frowned down at me.

"Oh, come on Comrade! Loosen up!. You haven't laughed at one of my jokes in like...an entire day. What's wrong?"

He looked down at me, his face softening. "I'm sorry Roza. It's just, well, it seems rude. You're a pregnant woman, and my mama taught me to be polite and nice and helpful to pregnant women."

I glared at him. "You did not just pull the pregnant woman card on me, Comrade. You totally owe me like a dozen donuts and a bacon pizza. And it better be here by the morning!" I snapped, my hormones and a bit of darkness taking over.

Dimitri held up his hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am. They will be there tomorrow for breakfast instead of practice." he promised.

My heart warmed at his promise. I knew he would make good on that promise, too; he'd done it before. "Thank you Comrade!" I squealed. "You're the best!" I quickly wrapped my arm around him and gave him a squeeze, then pulled away, skipping towards the cabin.

I smiled when I heard his chuckle behind me. "Where are you running off to, Roza?" he asked as he caught up with me with his mile long legs.

"To meet you friend." I replied happily.

He chuckled again. "Well, then let's go."

We walked up to the cabin, but no one was there, so we went around back. To my surprise, Lissa and Christian were also there, along with someone else. They were skating on the lake, but when they saw us approaching, they stopped.

"Hey Liss. Thanks for inviting me to the party." I said grumpily, but smiled, letting her know I was kidding.

"Oh, sorry, Rose, but you were at practice," she looked at me apolitically.

"It's okay," I waved off her apology. "I'm getting good food tomorrow; guaranteed to keep me in a good mood till lunch." I smiled.

Christian scowled at me, and I got the feeling I was interrupting a romantic moment. Oh well.

Dimitri and the other person were talking by themselves when I turned around.

Our eyes met, distracting her from her conversation. I saw a beautiful Moroi woman, tall, with long black hair, and brilliant blues eyes. There was a scar along her cheek, which sent a jolt of shock through me. I knew instantly that this woman was a fighter.

I stared at her scar, then smiled crookedly when I caught her eye. I swept my hair off my shoulder, showing the faint scars on my neck from when my throat was pretty much ripped out by his teeth. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," I said, tilting my head slightly towards her won scars.

The woman smirked back at me. "Oh! Story time! I _love _story time!" she said sarcastically, but gave me a real smile, letting me know it was okay.

Dimitri chuckled next to me. "Rose, this is my friend Tasha. Tasha, this is my...student, Rose," he stumbled a little over 'student', and I knew he wanted to say friend, but it would seem weird. He out his arm lightly on my shoulder, a smile on his face.

Tasha grinned at me. "Hello, Rose."

I smiled back. "Hi Tasha."

Tasha looked around. "Well, it's cold out here; let's go into the cabin."

"Cabin?" I asked. "Aren't you staying at the school?"

Tasha shook her head, looking oddly bitter. "Oh, no, you see the school is a bit less hospitable towards the Ozeras, but particularly me."

"Towards...? Oh," I said, getting it finally. This was Christian's aunt, the one who defended him when his Strigoi parents came for him. That explained everything, particularly the scar, and staying away from the school. I nodded.

Tasha gave me a small smile. "Well, let's go, we can't have a pregnant woman getting sick from the cold," she joked. Or I hoped she joked, because if she didn't, she might get hurt.

We all walked into the cabin. It was surprisingly cozy; a fire burned in the fire place, or it did once Tasha lit it, the bed was made up with blankets, and there were a bunch of blanket and pillows in the font of the fireplace. We settled down among the blankets, me, then Dimitri, then Tasha next to him, with Lissa and Christian cuddled up together across from us. I sat close to Dimitri, left side of the body brushing up against his whenever he moved. I could feel that Lissa was curious as to how and why I was so close to him, but I put it to the back of my mind.

Once we were all comfy, Tasha turned to me. "So you wanted the story behind this?" she asked, pointing to her scars.

I nodded. "And I'll tell you mine," I replied, tossing my hair back again. I paused. "Well, only if you want it," I added.

She nodded. "Absolutely. Okay, so what do you know about what happened?" she asked, referring to Christian's parents turning.

I shrugged and glanced at Christian, remembering our conversation last year. "The basics."

Tasha nodded again. "Well, when they came in, I knew. I knew they were after Christian, so I tried to fend them off, resulting in this," she pointed to her cheek. "If the guardians hadn't come..." she trailed off, a faraway look on her face. I shuddered, knowing exactly what would have happened. She would have died, and Christian would have been turned.

"Well, anyway, it made me realize I couldn't spend my life hiding behind guardians, utterly defenseless, so I took up martial arts. I know work at a studio. I've been saving up all of my vacation for this. I haven't been skiing in a while."

"Wow." was all I could say.

Tasha grinned. "Now how about you? You said you'd share."

I shrugged. "You're story's a lot more impressive than mine. I was simply raped. Oh, and he practically tore my throat out biting me. Nothing like defending your five year old nephew from his Strigoi parents." I spoke casually, as if it meant nothing, but my heart was pounding. No one in the room knew about the bite, well, Dimitri had an inkling, but he never knew for sure until now.

"Oh," Tasha said softly, after a beat of silence. "Is that how...?" she let the question hang.

I nodded, knowing what she was asking.

"I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't be. Not your fault."

Tasha sighed. "That reminds. Ivan...God, I'm going to miss him. He was a great friend."

My eyes welled up with tears. "I miss Ivan too," I said, the tears spilling over.

"Oh, Roza," Dimitri murmured, pulling my into his chest. I buried my face in his shirt. One of his hands rested lightly on my back, while the other stroked my hair. He was careful to not make me feel trapped, and made sure he didn't breathe on my neck. I couldn't stand it if someone breathed on my neck; I freaked.

He let me cry myself out, murmuring Russian words into my hair, helping me calm. Damn hormones.

I felt surprise through the bond at my reaction. Lissa hadn't realized how close Ivan and I had gotten, considering the fact that she's never actually met him. After his visit, I had kept in touch with him through phones calls and emails. I could tell she was also surprised about how close Dimitri held me, but I put her curiosity to the back of my mind, focusing instead on Dimitri's scent. I loved the way he smelled, like aftershave and man. It was intoxicating.

I finally calmed down, but stayed hidden, inhaling Dimitri's smell a little longer before emerging back into the world. It was peaceful here, in Dimitri's chest. It was warm and soft, yet hard at the same time, and smelled like heaven. What was not to like?

I took one last breath before slowly pulling away from him. Dimitri pulled his arms away just as slowly, as if savoring the moment of closeness as I was.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He nodded, his face oddly relaxed, like he had let out a lot of tension.

There was a moment of silence after my break down in which everyone looked at each other awkwardly, before I finally said, "Hormones," and just like that, everything was back to normal.

The rest of the gathering was fun. It was almost curfew before we split up. I had gotten Dimitri to go with Tasha to Missoula for some shopping, and they were meeting in an hour. Dimitri was walking me back to my dorm.

"You know, even though the scars mess up her face, they make her even more beautiful. They show that she's a fighter, and she's strong. I like her." I said, looking ahead of my so I wouldn't trip.

"You're right." he said, sounding slightly surprised, like he hadn't thought of that. "And, what you did there, telling her what happened, that was brave too," he said softly.

I looked up at him, glowing with happiness. "Oh, that reminds me. I meant to ask you this earlier but I was distracted. Mom and I are having Christmas dinner with everybody, and you're invited. I guess I have to add Tasha to the list now," I thought out loud.

Dimitri looked at me with surprise. "You want me to have Christmas dinner with you?"

I looked at him puzzled. "Well, yeah, why not?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just wasn't expecting it is all."

"Well, you're invited, and you're coming, and that's final. Oh, and forward that to Tasha too, would?" I asked.

Dimitri nodded. "Will do."

We were in front of my door now. I didn't want him to leave, but knew he had to. "Well, bye, I guess, til tomorrow. Don't forget my breakfast," I added jokingly.

He smiled his full smile, dazzling me with it's brightness for a moment. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now go to bed Roza. You've had a busy day."

"Okay," I yawned. "Night Comrade. Be safe."

"Good night Roza," he murmured. "And I will, don't worry." he hesitated, glancing around for a moment before bending down and pressing his lips lightly to my forehead. I froze, all breath leaving my body.

He pulled away. "Bye Roza," he said, then turned around and walked away, disappearing down the hallway in a blink.

I stood by the door. I couldn't move. My mind seemed to be having a melt down. All of my senses were focused on Dimitri still; I could feel the spot on my forehead where his lips touched. I felt a smile on my face as my hand reached up to touched the spot.

"He kissed me," I breathed. Then I giggled. The giggled turned into full laughter.

I walked into my room still laughing. "He kissed me!" I exclaimed, thankful the walls were thick.

I got ready for bed with a smile on my face, and went to sleep with the memory of his lips on my forehead, and his arms around me.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know everyone seems a bit out of character, but Rose is pregnant. Of course everything is different! I hope you all like this chapter, and I'm sorry for dropping off the face of the earth; writer's block. I have a poll on my profile page about Rose's baby; please vote! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I'm thinking next chapter you get to find out who did it! Sorry in advance :P Enjoy the story, and Happy Easter!_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

The next morning, I skipped all the way to practice, eager to show Dimitri my good news. When I got to the gym, it was closed and dark. I stepped in, wondering if Dimitri was going to jump out and scare me. _No, _I thought to myself. _He wouldn't do that. _Still, I was cautious walking into the gym. _Maybe he's late? _I thought, the reconsidered. _No, Dimitri is never late._

"Rose?"

I jumped a mile at the sound of her voice. "Mom?" I exclaimed, spinning around. "What are you doing here? Where's Dimitri?"

Mom smiled. "Dimitri just came back a few hours ago from his shopping trip with Lady Ozera. He's probably sleeping right now. I'm here to train you. Aren't you happy to see me?" she asked, feigning hurt.

I chuckled. "Of course I'm happy to see you! I was just really hoping to tell, erm, well, _show _Dimitri something amazing!" I was practically glowing with the smile on my face. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I floated away with happiness.

Mom looked at me curiously. "What happened?" she questioned.

My smiled widened even more. "The baby kicked for the first time!" I squealed, clapping my hands excitedly.

Mom's face lit up with happiness. "Really? Can I feel?" she asked excitedly, putting out her hand. I took and put to where I had felt the baby's light kick.

"Come on, baby, kick for grandma," I cooed.

Mom looked at me, insulted. "Hey!"

I shrugged. "Hey, you are his or her gran-" The baby kicked, cutting off my words.

Mom's eyes widened. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

We looked at each other, both of our hands on my stomach, joy and awe dancing in our eyes.

* * *

><p>DPOV:<p>

I lay in bed awake. I had gotten back from the shopping trip with Tasha a few hours ago; I'd fallen asleep, but woke up a couple hours later and have been unable to fall back asleep. My mind drifted to Tasha. She had offered me to be her guardian, giving me the chance to have children with her if I so desired. I could tell this was something she had been thinking about for a while, and she felt for me more than friendship, but I knew I couldn't return those feelings. My thoughts went to Rose, thinking of my Roza's reaction to the offer. _There you go again, calling her _your _Roza. She's not yours! _I scolded myself. I sighed.

I knew I liked Rose more than I should. Hell, I can honestly say, after last night, that I was really and truly falling for her, and falling hard. Kind of like a train wreck – you couldn't stop it, and couldn't look away. I could tell she liked me too. I'd seen the way she looks at me when she thinks I'm not paying attention, or the way her breath always hitches slightly when I touch her. The look of wonder and happiness on her face last night after I kissed her told me as much.

And that in and of itself should convince me to go with Tasha because there was no way we could be together. Not only was there the age and position difference to think about, but also the fact that we were going to be Lissa's guardians. There was no way in hell that I could focus on Lissa at all while Rose was in the room.

There was also our child to think about, though. I couldn't leave Rose to take care of our child by herself. _It's not _your _child! _A voice inside my head hissed. I shook it off. I knew the child wasn't biologically mine, but that didn't stop me from considering it as mine own. I knew that given the chance, Rose would have the child grow up calling me dad, and the thought warmed my heart.

I sighed again, running a hand through my hair. This wasn't making my decision any easier.

For a moment, I stopped thinking about Tasha's offer, and focused on Rose.

I imagined our life together, raising a little boy with her eyes and hair. Or a little girl with an attitude that was a carbon copy of hers. I chuckled at that. I didn't know if I could handle two Roses, and the rest of the world certainly wasn't prepared for such horror. I imagined living with her in a house at Court, being together on our time off, guarding her outside of our home. I imagined watching the child grow up, watching Rose live past this horribleness, and be with me. I imagined making love to her, marrying her even. _Whoa! Slow down there, cowboy. _The voice yelled. _She's not even yours right now! She'll probably never be yours! How do you know the 'look' in her eyes when you touch her isn't lust? She's a hormonal, horny pregnant teenager. She probably loves you as much as you love Tasha. Which is as a friend!_

I rolled my eyes, but a pebble of doubt lodged itself in my gut. What if she didn't like me? What if I was just imagining everything? That's a good thing, right? That way she could focus on training and Lissa and her baby without the outside distraction of me. And I could be a great guardian, instead of a weak distracted one that couldn't keep my charge safe because I was too busy checking out my partner. Guarding partner, that is.

I shook my head, trying to dislodge all the thoughts. If only -

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I stayed on my bed, not wanting to get up. It was probably Tasha anyway, and I didn't really want to talk to her.

The knocking persisted, though. I sighed. I seemed to be doing a lot of that today, I thought distractedly.

"Dimitri?" a voice hissed through the door.

I was up in a split second. "Roza?" I opened the door. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my mood suddenly shooting up, a grin spreading across my face.

She smiled back. "Can I come in? I have to tell you something. Or, well, show you something."

I nodded, backing up to let her through. I closed the door and went back to my bed.

Rose looked at me apologetically. "Did I wake you up?" she asked, look sheepish.

I shook my head. "No, not at all," I said, then added, "Hi Roza, baby." I froze as I realize that I just called her baby, and dropped my eyes to her stomach, making it seem like I was talking to it.

When I looked up, she was smiling a ten thousand watt smile. She looked so beautifully happy, it made my heart ache, in a good way.

"Hey, Comrade. Guess what!" She was practically jumping with happiness.

"What?" I asked, amused.

"Our baby kicked!" Rose almost shouted. Her face looked like it was going to split in half with her smile.

I looked at her in awe, my own joy growing, making my heart swell. Her use of 'our baby' made my heart grow tenfold. I grinned right back. "Really? Let me feel!" I cried out, putting my hands on her stomach.

She pulled them off, and before I could react to her action, she pulled her shirt up so that her stomach was bare. Her adorable baby bump was utterly bare, and looked even more gorgeous than usual. She took my hand and put it back on her stomach, in a different spot than before.

"Come baby, kick for your daddy," she cooed softly. She seemed to realize what she said, and looked up at me, blushing.

"I'm sorry, I -" she started to say, looking mortified and scared.

I cut her off by giving her a quick, light kiss on her lips. It wasn't much of a kiss, more like a brush of my lips against hers, but it made her breathing stop, and her heart hammer. I could feel her pulse in the hand that was on mine.

"It's alright," I whispered. "I-" I swallowed. "I would love to be a daddy to this baby."

She looked at me, her eyes wide with shock. Tears filled her eyes, and I worried I said something wrong.

"Oh, Roza, don't cry!" I said frantically, taking her face in my hands and wiping the tears. It was a hopeless task, however, because more tears followed. "I'm sorry, please don't cry! I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry!" I kept wiping her tears, my eyes wide with horror, my words becoming a jumble of Russian and English with my concern.

Roza let out a weird hiccup/sob/laugh. "Oh, don't Dimitri, don't say sorry." she said through her tears, her hands going up to mine. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry. It's just, that was so sweet." she hiccuped again. "I would love for you to be little Ivan's daddy too," she said, her voice thick.

I looked at her, shocked. "Baby Ivan?" I asked.

She looked down at the bump. "Well, I don't know if it's a boy, but, well..." she trailed off, peaking at me through her eyelashes.

I took a deep breath. "If it's a boy, I would love to name him Ivan," I said, slightly chocked up with emotion.

Roza looked up at my words. "Don't cry," she said softly, repeating my words. I smiled at her sadly, and she leaned up, kissing me lightly on the cheek. My breath caught, my heart stopped for a moment, then started beating at twice the time.

Rose took my hand and put it back on her stomach, reminding me of why she was here, and how this whole conversation started.

Roza started cooing again, and I joined in this time. I felt a goofy smile spread across my face as I felt the smallest nudge on my hand. Roza and I looked at each other, both of our faces shining. I never wanted this moment to end.

As we sat there on my bed, talking to her stomach, the reason why I couldn't sleep suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. The thought dampened my happy mood. I looked at Roza, and knew I had to tell her before someone, like Tasha herself, did, and she got the wrong idea.

I took a deep breath. "Roza, there's something you should know," I said, taking her hand in mine, and looking into her eyes, completely serious.

"Oh, I know that tone of voice. That sounded ominous," she turned her body so she was facing me completely. "What would you like to talk about?"

I took a deep breath. "Okay, first of all, I want you to keep an open mind. Nothing has been decided yet, I have made no decision, and when I do, it will mostly likely be in your favor. In fact, there is little chance I will choose the other option, so you really don't have to worry. I just want you to hear this from me, so if you were to hear it from someone else, you wouldn't get the wrong idea, and-"

"Dimitri!" Rose cut me off, putting a hand on mine.

"Yes?" I asked, suddenly realizing I had let go of her hands and was now twisting my own in agitation.

"You're rambling," she said gently.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Tasha-Tasha gave me an..._offer_," I began carefully, looking into her eyes again. "She asked me to be her guardian with...fringe benefits, so to speak. As in," I took an other deep breath. "As in family. Kids." I stopped, looking to see Rose's reaction to this information.

Her breathing stopped. "O-oh," she said, her voice breaking. I watched as her face slowly collapsed in on itself. Her happy mood seemed to have evaporated. "Oh. So, um, I guess- I guess, you're taking it? I mean, it's a great chance! You get to have a family of your own!" She attempted a smile, which came out as a grimace as she tried to hold back tears.

"No, no, no, Roza," I said gently. "I was just simply considering the option because, well, I want you to focus on your studies, and not be distracted by me. Maybe I'm being bold and egotistical, and arrogant, but I'm going on the assumption that you may want to be in a relationship with me, and frankly, that's not really possible. We're seven years apart, I'm your teacher, and we're both guardians." I hesitated. "And, well, if we were to both be guarding Lissa, I wouldn't...I mean, I would be worries about you and the baby, and I'd be focusing on you instead of her, and I just want to keep you safe. I wouldn't be taking her offer for the children, because this little baby," I put my hand lightly on her stomach and rubbed it carefully, "this little baby is all that I need. And that's why I can't really leave. I could never do that to you. I would stay and help you wit the baby even if I- Well, I would help you regardless. I'd stay no matter what. I promised I would help, and I really care about that little baby, and-So, I'm probably not taking Tasha's offer, although it would be a really good idea since-" I kept stuttering through my explanation, getting nervous as the things I wanted to say came out wrong as I tried not to tell her exactly how I felt. I continued to ramble on until I felt her fingertips gently touch my lips, effectively shutting me up.

"I get it," she said, smiling at me softly. "You care about me, a lot. I really like you too. And I know we can't be together. You don't-you don't _have _to stay, you know. I'd understand if you left. After all, this baby isn't even yours. It's barely mine, for that matter." I could tell she was fighting tears again.

I shook my head quickly. "No, I'm staying. This baby, this baby is _ours_. I don't have to be biologically the father, and you don't have to have wanted it, or even expected it, for it to be our baby. The fact that we love it now is all that matters." I took her hand in mine, and squeezed lightly.

Her eyes filled up with tears. I was worried I'd said or done something wrong when she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. The entire universe stopped for a second as she held me close to her. I gently wrapped my arms around her, pulling her carefully further into my chest. I hoped this moment would never end.

_I love you._ The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't want to say them just yet. It felt too early, and almost superficial to say them now.

We held each other for several moments before Roza had to pull away. She moved away just enough so that our chests were no longer touch, but I could still feel the faintest brush of her baby bump against my stomach. We stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time, just looking into each others' eyes. I felt like I was looking into her soul, and loved what I saw. Her eyes burned bright will life and happiness and love. They swirled, shifting endlessly like a living flame. They were mesmerizing. I was hypnotized.

It could have been minutes, hours, days, before either of us were brought back to earth. The growling of Roza's stomach filled the content silence that had surrounded us, breaking the moment.

Both of us chuckled, and Roza said, "I can see this becoming a habit; this baby is going to be ruining all of our moments."

I let out a full laugh, extremely happy that she saw us together in the future. I didn't know how it was going to work out, but I swore to myself that it would.

"Come on, I promised you breakfast, remember? Let's go and eat. I can't have my family be hungry, now can I?" I joked.

Roza's answering smile was simply dazzling. I felt like I was looking at an angel, sent from heaven, filled with its glorious light.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered, capturing one of her hands between both of mine and brought it to my lips.

She blushed, pure joy making her eyes dance.

I let her hand go and straightened up. "Now, onto breakfast," I declared, tugging her to the kitchen area of my room where I had the pizza and donuts.

Her giggles filled the entire room, and my heart.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So, so so soooooo sorry for the long wait! I just couldn't seem to end the chapter! I promise, though, to do my best and give you a chapter at least once a week! There's a poll on my profile for the story, please check it out! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Hugs and kisses to all! Xoxoxoxoxoxo_

_ -Tatiana _


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

Christmas came around fast. It was decided that we would have a Christmas dinner in a rarely used lounge in the guest house. Lissa and Christian had finally had sex a couple weeks before that, after months of celibacy for my sake, and were now closer than ever. It was quite disgusting actually, considering the fact that I got pulled in. On the bright side, though, it seemed as if virtually 'being' with Christian took away some of my phobia, because I could now have guys sit by me. Not enough for them to touch me, but a huge improvement from the three foot distance that had been necessary in the beginning of the year.

Dimitri and I became closer than ever after our talk in his room. The baby moved frequently now, and every time I felt it, my love for it seemed to grow.

On the other hand, I started to dislike Tasha. Every time I saw her with Dimitri, I couldn't help but be jealous. She had everything I didn't, and she could give Dimitri everything I couldn't. I dreaded the day he realized this. I knew, despite his constant denies that she could give him anything he wanted, that someday he would go to her. That knowledge scared the hell out of me and made me very insecure about myself, and jealous of Tasha. It caused me to be irritable and snappy whenever I saw the two of them together, which was giving Lissa whiplash.

I felt bad about taking my anger and overall bitchy mood out on Lissa, who had no idea what was going on, but I figured it would be better than me actually coming up to Tasha and punching that scarred face of hers.

When the Christmas dinner rolled around, I was extremely excited. Dimitri was going to 'escort me to make sure I didn't get hurt,' which was a round-about way of saying he was going to be my date for the dinner.

I spent a full hour getting ready. I had a beautiful red maternity dress. It was a wrap front design, with a belt just below my bust.**_ (Pic on profile)_** I loved it. For shoes, I decided to wear simple flats; my feet had been hurting me lately. I let my hair flow naturally down my back, and put on very little make up; just eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow. The overall effect was astounding. If I was a dude, I would totally do me. I giggled at the thought.

Just as I was finishing, a knock sounded at the door. With my heart pounding excitedly, I opened the door to Dimitri.

My breath caught as my eyes trailed over him. He had on a pair of black jeans that fit him perfectly, and a black button down shirt that emphasized his muscular torso. He wore boots on his feet, as expected, but had his hair down, just like I'd asked him.

My gaze reached his face just as his reached mine. Both of us smiled as we realized we were checking each other out.

"Hey, Comrade," I breathed.

"Hello Roza," he murmured, lifting one of his hands to run it through my hair. "You look beautiful."

My smile widened. "You clean up nicely yourself."

He chuckled. "Shall we go, milady?" He offered me his hand dramatically. I giggled at his antics.

"We shall," I replied with a British accent. He chuckled again as I slipped my arm through his.

I was reminded of that the day so long ago when he did the exact same thing, except he was several feet away. I smiled at the memory. I had come so far.

We made our way happily to the lounge, joking and laughing the whole time.

When we came in, Tasha jumped up excitedly. "Dimka! You're here! And, wow, don't you look handsome," she giggled flirtatiously, running a hand down his arm.

"Why thank you, Tasha! You don't look so bad yourself!" I answered her as if she was talking to me with a fake smile. On the inside, though, I was seething with anger.

"Oh, Rose! I didn't see you there," she said, looking at me. I could feel Dimitri shaking with silent laughter beside me.

"I can tell," I said drily. Tasha blushed.

"Can we move this along?" Dimitri asked. "We're blocking the doorway."

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry." Tasha moved away, flustered.

I couldn't help but smirk triumphantly. _That's what you get for trying to take away my man, bitch. _I thought.

Once everyone had finally made it to the lounge, including my mother, surprisingly, we settled down to eat the Christmas dinner that had been prepared by the kitchen staff.

Dimitri sat at the head of the rectangular table, my mother directly across from him. I sat next to him, with Tasha on his other side, flirting shamelessly. Lissa and Christian, who were utterly lovey-dovey, sat next to me, with Mason and Alberta across from them.

Throughout dinner, Tasha kept flirting and finding every opportunity to touch Dimitri, to the point where I wanted to scream at her, "Why don't you just tear his clothes off and fuck him! You'd touch him less _that _way!" But I held it in, seething in silence.

At one point, my mom asked me if I was going to find out the sex of the baby.

I shook my head. "No, we want to wait, and have it as a surprise," I said, looking up at Dimitri with a smile, which widened when I saw him looking right back at me.

"We?" Tasha asked, sounding confused. "Who is 'we'?"

I chuckled lowly, but didn't answer. Underneath the table, I felt Dimitri take and squeeze my hand. It was as if he squeezed my heart, which, after stuttering, started up double time.

Mom looked at me curiously, but I just shook my head.

Tasha turned to Dimitri. "I can just imagine the way you would be if you were to be a father." she said with amusement, leaning closer. "You'd probably do all your baby talk in Russian."

_Oh, if only you knew, Tasha. _I thought, chuckling.

"I can imagine how over-protective you would be," she continued, practically rubbing her non-existent boobs all over his arm. "And how happy your face would look as you held your child." By now, she was whispering in his ear, or trying to, because he kept leaning away.

I started to see red. How dare she hang all over him? I was about to drag her off of him by her hair when Dimitri politely pushed her away. "Yes, I _am _overprotective of my child, and its mother. And as for baby talking in Russian...that's not anything anybody will ever know." He leaned into me slightly.

Tasha frowned, looking slightly disappointed. "_Would be_," she said.

Dimitri looked at her with confusion.

Tasha raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean, '_would be_ over protective...'?" she asked.

Dimitri stilled for a moment. Even though in privacy we called the child 'our,' and weren't denying our connection, we couldn't exactly let it be known to the public. Despite how happy the two of us were, the fact still stood that I was his student, I was under-aged, and still in school. So, no matter how much I wanted to scream from the roof tops that Dimitri was my baby's daddy, I couldn't. At least, not until graduation, which seemed so far away.

"Yes, that's what I meant," Dimitri corrected himself. Tasha nodded, not noticing his slight hesitation.

They began talking again, and I turned to talk to Mason as a distraction.

The dinner continued for several hours. At one point, Lissa had come up to me to give me my gift. What I had thought to be her attempt at converting me turned out to be a _chotki –_ meant for her guardian. I teared up when she told me. Okay, I lied; I full on sobbed and hugged her to death, thanking her the entire time.

She had laughed and patted my back until I calmed down.

My mother had also given me a present consisting of a_ round pendant, a small one—not much bigger than a dime in diameter. A base of silver held a flat disc of colored glass circles. It was strange, but the circles almost made it look like an eye. The inner one was small, just like a pupil. It was so dark blue that it looked black. Surrounding it was a larger circle of pale blue, which was in turn surrounded by a circle of white. A very, very thin ring of that dark blue color circled the outside.** (Pic on profile)**_

"It's a _nazar,_" she told me quietly. "According to Turkish superstition, it's supposed to keep the wearer from evil. Your father..."

I was quiet as she told me this. It was the most my mom had ever said about my father. Even thought I knew who he was, I had never met him, and she never really talked about him.

Tasha, who apparently had a bit too much eggnog (note the sarcasm), interrupted at that moment to give me my present. It turned out to be a very pretty red silk maternity dress, embroidered with flowers, but it wasn't worth the moment she broke, causing me to be less than gracious in thanking her. This earned me a sharp look of disapproval from Lissa.

Dimitri's gift to me really tugged at my heart, though. He had gotten two onesies, one in a soft orange color, the other in a light green. The orange one said, "My mommy kicks butt," while the green one said, "My mom is a badass." I ended up crying and flinging myself into his arms.

He chuckled. "I take it you like my gift?" he inquired, his arms wrapped loosely around me, his lips near my ear.

"Mmhmm," I nodded into his chest.

"Then I hope you like what I really got you."

I pulled away then, confused. "What do you mean?"

He looked at me. "You don't really think that's all I got you, right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I have your present in my room. I forgot to bring it."

Dimitri shrugged. "That's all right. All the more reason to leave," he said, winking at me.

I chuckled, but nodded. "Just let me say bye to everyone, okay?"

He nodded, waving his hand in a go ahead gesture.

I quickly went around the room where everyone was now sitting and chatting, saying bye to everyone.

I made my way back to Dimitri.

"Ready?" he asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, grabbing my coat. He took it from my hands, helping me put it on. Then, hooking my arm around his, he 'escorted' me back to my room.

It was snowing as we walked to my room. I sighed happily, watching the snowflakes drift down.

"When are we leaving for the lodge?" I asked, referring to the ski lodge the academy was going to for the holidays, due to the increased number of Strigoi killings.

"Later on tomorrow," he replied. "So you have no excuse to be late." I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"I'm not always late!" I protested, pouting.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

I nodded. "Yeah! I wasn't late to the Christmas dinner!" I exclaimed.

Dimitri full on laughed at that. I stayed quiet, simply listening to him laugh. It was beautiful, deep and warm, and sent shivers down my back, although that might have been the cold.

"The only reason you _weren't _late was because I made sure we were on time," he finally spoke, laughter still evident in his voice.

I didn't answer, enjoying hearing his voice and laugh too much.

We reached my room shortly after, cutting off our conversation.

I took off my ivory colored parka, followed by my flats. My feet were absolutely frozen, so I put on some really warm and fuzzy green socks. Dimitri chuckled at my choice of socks, and it occurred to me once again how often he laughed now, when at the beginning of the year I could barely get a smile out of him.

Dimitri also took off his duster, but kept his boots on, looking a bit out of place in my room. He glanced around for a few moments, noting the pictures of Lissa and I over the years, and piles of clothing on the floor, and all the clutter on my desk.

He finally turned to me. I was sitting on my bed, watching him. I beckoned him to sit by me.

"C'mon, sit next to me," I said, patting the bed. "I don't bite, I promise. Just nibble." I looked at him angelically.

He cracked a smile, and moved forward.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not with those boots on, you don't! I don't want snow all over my room," I said sternly, making him take off his boots.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but complied, taking off his boots then sitting next to me. He reached over to his duster where it hung on my computer chair, easily reaching it with his long arms. Pulling out a small, wrapped box, he turned to me looking slightly nervous.

"Here," he murmured, giving me the box.

I opened it quickly, eager to see what he'd gotten me. Inside was a beautiful heart shaped locket. It was gold with red in the middle, and a design set in the red, about the size of a quarter. It hung on a gold chain_**. (Pic on profile)**_

I opened it carefully to find a picture of Dimitri and I in one of the windows. The other window was blank.

"It's for the baby," Dimitri murmured, seeing me looking at it. I let out a small gasp.

"It's beautiful, Dimitri," I said, looking up at him in awe.

He smiled. "It's nothing. I wish I could have gotten you something better." His voice had a slight tinge of regret.

I shook my head. "No! No, it's perfect. You couldn't have gotten me anything more perfect. Thank you," I said sincerely.

Before I could forget, I climbed off the bed and walked over to my computer desk, grabbing the wrapped package laying there.

I gave it to Dimitri before hopping back on the bed. He looked at it curiously.

"You know, you didn't have to get me anything," he said.

I shrugged. "It's Christmas – but don't get used to it." I smirked playfully.

He smiled back, and then looked back down at the present before unwrapping. When he saw what was in it, he outright laughed.

"A western?" he asked incredulously. "Where did you even get it?"

"I have my ways," I said cryptically. Somehow saying that I had begged and pleaded Alberta to buy it for me in exchange for doing all of my homework for a week didn't seem as cool.

Dimitri simply laughed. "How do you know I haven't read it yet?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged again, but looked at him sheepishly. "So I might have stalked your room, and the library, and your computer..." I trailed off, looking at him innocently.

He sighed in exasperation, but his eyes were dancing with happiness. "Thank you," he said, grinning at me. I smiled back, and then held out the locket.

"Put it on me?" I asked, turning around and pulling my hair to the side so that my neck was bare.

Dimitri carefully lifted the chain over my head, then clasped it in the back. He pressed a light kiss at the nape of my neck, causing my heart to stutter for a moment. Then he pulled my hair back so it cascaded down my back.

Slowly, I turned around, crouching on my knees and using my hands for balance.

"Don't move," I whispered.

Dimitri froze. I didn't think he was even breathing. Slowly, I leaned forward until our faces were just a breath away. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up and my hands shaking. My breathing was slightly erratic, but when I did a mental assessment of my emotions, I realized it was simply because of excitement. I wasn't scared at all, simply nervous. Nervous for what I was about to do. Nervous about whether I was doing this right. And excited that I was finally doing it.

Dimitri closed his eyes when our lips were about to touch.

"Open your eyes," I breathed. He opened his eyes, his breath catching from our proximity.

I pressed my lips to his, my own eyes fluttering closed from the sensation. His lips were so soft and gentle against my own. We stayed that way for several long moments, not moving, not doing anything, just our lips touching.

I pulled away slightly, before opening my eyes. I lifted my hands up off the bed, balancing on my knees only for a few moments, before I placed my hands on either side of his face.

"Dimitri," I breathed.

He opened his eyes, which he had closed sometime during our kiss, if you could call it that.

I stroked his cheek softly, looking into his eyes, which had darkened. I think. It might have been my imagination, or the lack of proper light. Most likely the latter.

"Roza," he choked out, breathing heavily. I could feel his chest brush against mine with every labored breath, and one of my hands slid down to rest over his heart, his pulse racing against my fingertips. I licked my lips, brushing his lower lip by accident. He shuddered.

"Roza, can I – can I kiss you? Can I t – touch you?" he asked, his body tense.

I froze at his last few words. His eyes widened as he read my expression and realized how it sounded.

"No, not like that! Like, like this." Carefully, he laid his hand against my cheek, while putting his other arm lightly across my back.

"Is – is that okay?" he asked, looking at me hopefully.

I relaxed and nodded. I felt his body relax too, as he gently pulled my face forward until our lips touched again, looking into each others' eyes the entire time. Our lips met once more, and I couldn't help but shiver.

Dimitri began moving his lips against mine. I followed his lead, letting him know it was okay. My eyes closed on their own as my body melted into his. Our kiss was gentle and soft, but filled my body with so much lovely emotion I felt like I was going to explode with happiness.

We kissed for several long moments, but Dimitri never pushed for more than what we were doing. The kiss ended naturally, but neither of us moved away. I leaned my forehead against his, and we just stared into each others' eyes, not speaking, until our breathing calmed down.

"Dimitri?" I whispered.

"Hm?" he hummed.

"I think I might be falling for you," I whispered back.

He smiled, then slid his hand down from my back to my stomach, and rubbed it. "I think I'm falling for you too," he murmured.

Finally, I pulled away, scooting farther up my bed until I was leaning against the headboard. I patted the spot next to me, inviting Dimitri up.

He moved up the bed until he was sitting beside me, lifting his left arm so he could put it around my shoulders. I leaned forward slightly, letting it settle across my shoulders. I laced the fingers of my left hand with the arm around my shoulders, laying my head on his shoulder. He rested his head on mine.

We sat in comfortable silence for several long minutes before I broke it.

"You know, usually, it's love _then _a baby," I said, looking up at him.

Dimitri chuckled. "Well, as long as the baby is raised with love, I don't think it matters how it happened," he replied.

I sighed. "Why are you even with me?" I asked. "I'm nothing special. I'm a 17 year old girl who got raped and knocked up. I won't get you anywhere, except maybe to jail. This isn't your biological child. You have no ties to me. Why would you stay when you can have something better?" Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over quietly.

"Roza!" he murmured, pulling away so he could see my face. He kissed the tears from my face. "Don't cry. I'm staying with you because I...I think I love you. You are an amazing woman. It's not your fault that this happened. And I don't care if the child isn't mine biologically. It's half you, and that's all that matters. I'll be the best dad that I can for it, and you'll be the best mom. You're wonderful, beautiful, funny, and smart. You get me like no one else does. You understand me on a level not even my mother, or sisters do. You understand me better than Ivan did, and he was my best friend." he stopped then, looking away. I knew he was trying to control the sadness and pain that thoughts of his deceased best friend brought him.

I covered his hand with mine before moving both of them to my stomach. The baby kicked his hand, and I leaned forward and pressed lips to his cheek, an unspoken comfort.

Dimitri glanced down at me with a smile playing on his lips. "You're doing it again. You know exactly what I need," he whispered. I returned the smile.

He shook off the hand that was holding his around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his body. I shifted so that now I was cuddled up against his chest, my head tucked under his chin. He slipped his left arm around my waist so that his hand rested on my stomach. I wrapped my arms around his torso, and he laced the fingers of his right hand into my hair, playing with it.

We just lay in silence, enjoying the peaceful moment, on the perfect Christmas day.

* * *

><p>The next morning I awoke with a start. I lay still for a few moments, trying to figure out what had woken me up. A knock sounded at my door, jarring my thoughts – and giving me my answer for being awake.<p>

I groaned, but stumbled out of bed, tripping across my messy room to my door, grumbling under my breath.

"What!" I snapped, yanking open the door, ready to kill whoever was there.

"Good morning to you too, Roza."

I looked up into Dimitri's warm brown eyes. They were filled with amusement and some emotion I couldn't decipher, but it made his eyes darken. I brightened up immediately. Nothing could make your day better than seeing a gorgeous Russian first thing in the morning.

"Hi, Comrade! What brings you here so early in the day?" I asked.

His eyes trailed over my body, and it hit me that the only thing I had on was underwear and one of Dimitri's t-shirts, which I had stolen from his room a couple weeks ago. I blushed, suddenly realizing what the other emotion in his eyes was. _Lust_.

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you remember? We have an ultrasound to go to," he said.

I gasped, remembering. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! Umm, hang, I'm just gonna go change," I stammered, making awkward gestures.

Dimitri nodded, smiling slightly. "I'll just wait out here," he said.

I nodded, and started backing into my room, but paused. "Or, you know, you could come in, if only to make sure I don't go back to bed. I'm liable to do that." I laughed nervously. I couldn't believe I was doing this! Thoughts of last night, and our kisses, flashed through my mind.

Dimitri hesitated. "Are you sure?" he asked, frowning slightly.

I mulled it over for a moment. Should I take this step? We've known each other for four months, but in those four months I'd grown to trust him inexplicably, and to truly care for him. I knew he wouldn't take advantage of me; his hesitation here proved as much. But was it too soon? No, I decided. It's not like we were going to do anything. He's most likely turned around while I changed.

I nodded finally. "Yeah, I'm sure. C'mon."

I beckoned him into my room. He followed me slowly, giving me all the time in the world to change my mind. But he was the one thing in my life that my mind was made up about, and wouldn't change as long as the sun still shined.

Dimitri closed the door softly after entering my room. My heart beat sped up, excited over what I was about to do. My hormones seemed to go into over drive.

Dimitri walked hesitantly over to my bed and sat down gingerly.

I took a deep breath and grinned over at Dimitri. "Don't get too excited," I teased him.

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I'll try not to, Roza," he said, his voice full of sarcasm.

I swallowed as silence filled the room again, and slowly pulled my shirt over my head, never taking my eyes off of him.

I let the shirt fall to the floor, revealing my body for the first time in my life in front of a man. I didn't count my rape, because it wasn't a man. It was...a piece of worthless shit.

Dimitri's eyes widened when the shirt dropped to the floor. I don't think he expected me to actually take it off without turning around. I saw him swallow heavily, his eyes trailing all over my skin like a sunbeam on a cold winter day. I could physically feel it all over my body, causing me to shiver lightly.

"Roza," he breathed, sliding forward toward me a little bit. "You're beautiful."

He leaned forward, stretching out his hand. At first, I thought he was going to touch my breast and was about to say no, but then I realized that his hand was too low. He instead caressed my stomach.

I felt a blush make its way into my cheeks. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the need to touch him, kiss him. I lurched forward, pressing my lips to his. He froze, but with my encouragement, he began kissing me back. I pushed on his chest slightly, causing him to lean back towards the bed, but not quite laying down. I followed, keeping our lips together. I climbed into his lap, straddling him. He made a sound at the back of his throat, and gripped my hips tightly. His tongue made it's way into my mouth, dancing with mine. I groaned, pressing closer to him, my hands buried in his hair keeping his face secured to mine. My chest was crushed to his, my stomach the only obstacle between us, the only thing that helped me keep a shred of sanity.

That sanity snapped when Dimitri trailed his hand from my hips, up my waist, to the sides of my breasts, rubbing small circles. That small touch sent my senses into overdrive my emotion passing from crazy to frantic. I ground my hips into his, a moan tearing its way out of my mouth.

That one sound was like a bucket of ice water to Dimitri. He froze, pulling away from the kiss. I was panting hard, unsure as to what was happening, why he stopped. Until my brained kicked in. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, trying to calm myself down. I could _feel _how turned on he was, and it wasn't helping in the least.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. I felt him shake his head.

"No, Roza, _I'm _sorry. I shouldn't have let it get this far," he murmured, his lips in my hair.

I squeezed my eyes shut before clambering off his lap. When I stood up, he turned his head away.

"Get ready," he said roughly, his accent flowing stronger.

I quickly changed in to a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Then I threw on my combat boots and coat.

"Okay, I'm ready!" I said.

Dimitri finally looked at me. He surveyed my outfit, nodding in approval. "Okay, let's go."

We made our way to the infirmary, where Dr. Olendzki was waiting with all the proper equipment.

She looked slightly surprised to see Dimitri, since he had never come to any of my other ultrasounds, but didn't comment.

"Okay, Rose, you know the drill. Sit down, pull up your shirt, and be prepared for the gel to be cold," Dr. Olendzki said cheerfully.

I nodded, and got myself situated. Dimitri quietly sat down in the chair next to the bed, the chair that Lissa usually occupied. I hadn't asked her to accompany me to this ultrasound for a couple of reasons. One being that she and Christian were very _busy_ now. And two, I wanted to share this with Dimitri, as a family. So I hadn't asked her.

Dr. Olendzki applied the gel to my stomach. I gasped at the cold, like I do every time.

She placed the wand on my stomach, moving it around lightly before pointing towards the screen. "That's your baby. Do you want to know the sex?" she asked, glancing at me.

I looked at Dimitri, and we shook our head simultaneously. "No, we – I want it to be a surprise," I stumbled over my words a little trying to cover my slip up.

Dr. Olendzki nodded. "Okay. I want you to have a check-up as soon as you get back from the lodge," she said sternly.

I nodded meekly. "Can I have a print out?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course." She went over to her computer and clicked some buttons before straightening up. "I'll be right back. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, Guardian Belikov," she added over her shoulder with another stern look.

As soon as she left the room, Dimitri had his arms wrapped around me. "That's our baby, Roza," he whispered in my ear, his voiced filled with awe.

I nodded. "Yes, yes it is." My heart swelled with happiness. I realized this was the first time he had seen the baby, and I was glad I asked for print outs. "Get me a paper towel, would you?" I asked. "I want to wipe this gunk off me."

Dimitri nodded, pulling away from me to grab a paper towel before coming back and wrapping his arms around me again. I carefully wiped my stomach and pulled down my shirt, then looked at him, smiling.

His answering smile was brighter than the sun. He helped me down, then lifted me back up in a giant hug, laughing in my ear.

The door opened, and he set me down quickly, both of us springing apart as Dr. Olendzki walked in, holding the ultrasound pictures. She looked at us questioningly, but once again didn't comment.

"I didn't know how many you wanted, Rose, so I guesstimated." The doctor said, handing me the pictures.

I nodded. "Thank you so much," I said, gratitude coloring my voice.

Dr. Olendzki smiled. "You're very welcome. Have fun at the ski lodge, but be careful," she warned. "I don't want to see you in my office the day you come back for anything but a check up. I'd much rather you walk off the plane instead of carried."

I laughed. "I'll do my best."

Dimitri and I made our way out of the office to my room. Once we reached it, he paused at the door.

"I better go, I still have to pack," he said, running a hand though his soft brown hair.

I looked at him with surprise. "You still haven't packed?" I asked.

He shook his head sheepishly. "No, I've been too busy," he replied.

"Or too lazy," I teased.

He simply smiled. "Don't be late, okay? If you want me to, I'll pick you up from your dorm room."

I shrugged. "You can do that anyway. Here," I gave him one of the ultrasound pictures. I was going to put the other one in the album I made for the baby. Lissa had given it to me when she found out I was pregnant, stating, "You'll want to record every single moment of his or hers life because in a few short years, your baby will be all grown up." I had rolled my eyes at her, but now I was glad she gave it to me.

I was planning on giving one picture to my mom, and the other to Alberta. I would have liked to give one picture to Lissa, but the doctor only gave me four, and Lissa really had no use for it, so I figured she could live without one.

Dimitri took the picture, his face softening. "Thank you," he said, looking back at me with happiness shining out of his eyes. "It's beautiful."

I nodded. "Yes, yes it is." I said, getting lost in his eyes.

We stared at each other for a few moments, before finally saying goodbye. I decided to hang out with Lissa until it was time to board the plane, and went to her room after putting two of the pictures in my room to give to Alberta and put in my album later. I decided to drop off the last picture at my mom's room after I showed it to Lissa.

She looked surprised to see me when she opened the door, but happy. I showed her the ultrasound picture, and she gushed about how amazing it was. But then she frowned.

"Rose, who did you go to your ultrasound with?" she asked, sounding slightly hurt. I looked through the bond, and felt the hurt radiating from her. She was hurt that I hadn't asked her to come with her, and felt like I was going to replace her. That made me very angry for some reason.

"You know, I don't have to take you every time," I snapped. "I did you a favor – I figured you'd want to spend some time with Christian, since you can cause you're life is so easy. There are other people in my life. The world doesn't revolve around you, so don't go have hurt feeling because I felt like sharing this with someone else." By the end of my speech, Lissa had tears in her eyes.

"Rose, I – " she began, but I just shook my head and stood up.

I snatched the picture from her hands. "Come find me when you've decided to think about someone other than yourself." And then I walked out, slamming the door behind me.

* * *

><p><em>AN: All pictures are on my profile(: _

_Rose's dress: _ w w w dot asos dot com /ASOS-Maternity/ASOS-Maternity-Exclusive-Dress-With-Grecian-Drape-In-Jersey/Prod/pgeproduct dot aspx?iid=2049182&cid=5813&Rf900=1465&Rf-200=1&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Red

_Nazar Janine gives Rose.: __ht tp (:)/rlv dot zcache dot com /evil_eye_protection_necklace-p177348591734171662z8n8j_ _

_Locket Dimitri gives Rose: _http(:)/store dot metmuseum dot org /content/ebiz/themetstore/invt/09015272/09015272_01_m dot jpg_\_

_The nazar description was taken from Frostbite. _

_All pictures will also be posted on my Facebook page, RozaXDimkaBelikovForever: _http(:/)www dot facebook dot com /rozaxdimkafanfics

_The banner for this story is there too. _

_Make sure you remove the parentheses _

_ Sorry for dying on you. Next chapter will come much faster; I have it almost done. Then, chapter 18 you get to find out who it is! Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I'd love to kiss you all :* _


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own VA.

RPOV:

I stomped angrily across campus to my mom's room. The cold, late December wind cooled down my temper, and I began to feel guilty. What was that back there? It seemed like more than just pregnancy hormones, although they certainly helped. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I reached my mom's room. I knocked on the door.

"Hang on!" I heard her voice call through the door. She opened it, her breathing slightly harder than normal, but I didn't pay attention to that. Instead, I threw my arms around her.

"Mommy!" I cried out, letting my sobs loose on her shirt. She seemed frozen from shock, but came to her senses quickly, pulling me into her room.

She lead us to the couch in the living room like area in her guest room. It was surprisingly comfortable.

"What's wrong, Rosie?" Mom asked softly, stroking my hair.

"I – I ye – yelled at L – Lissa," I sobbed out. "I c – called her s – selfish cause she was h – hurt that I d – did – didn't t – take her t – to my ul – ult – ultrasound."

"Sh, sh, it's alright," Mom cooed, rocking me gently.

After several long minutes, I finally calmed down enough to tell Mom what happened.

"It was like something took over my body," I finished.

Mom looked at me with concern. "Are you all right? Was it the hormones?" she asked.

I shook my head, but then paused. "Well, it wasn't totally hormones. I mean, it was partially, but then it was something else. Something darker. I'm scared," I whimpered, cuddling closer to my mom.

Mom stroked my hair comfortingly. "I don't know what to tell you, honey. All I can say is, let her calm down, you can calm down, and then apologize. I'm sure once you explain you didn't mean it, she'll understand." She kissed my hair.

I stayed quiet. Because in all honesty, I did mean some of the things I had said. Maybe not most, but some. Like the fact that she had it so easy. And she was selfish at times. But I still loved her, and considered her my sister.

I sighed, pulling away. Glancing at the clocked, I was surprised to see how much time had passed.

"I better go," I said, standing up.

Mom looked startled. "Go where?" she asked.

I looked at her. "Back to my room so Dimitri can come get me so I won't be late to the plane, or get lost, or slip and fall, or whatever it is that he's worried about." I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. I wondered if I looked as bad as I thought I did.

"Oh, alright," Mom said quietly.

I frowned, but then remembered the ultrasound picture. I looked around and saw it lying forgotten on the couch. I picked it up, handing it to her.

"Here, mom. This is your grandchild," I said.

Mom's eyes widened, then filled with moisture.

"Thank you," she whispered, gazing awestruck at the picture in her hand. After staring at it for several moments in silence, she glanced up, her eyes dry now. She began handing it back to me, but I shook my head.

"No, keep it. It's for you. I already have a copy," I said, gently pushing it away.

Her eyes teared up again. "Oh, Rosie," she cried out, wrapping me in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much. It's beautiful."

* * *

><p>I left my mom's room in a much brighter mood than I came in.<p>

As I walked down the hallway towards my room, I saw Dimitri standing outside my door.

I looked at him sheepishly once I reached him. He looked back at me with amusement.

"Hey, I'm not late!" I protested, a smile threatening to break over my face. "You're just early."

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Of course, Rose, whatever you say." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

I frowned at him, my mood dropping again. "You've spent too much time around me. You're too sarcastic." I unlocked my door, slamming it open.

Dimitri walked in, closing the door softly. "It's not my fault," he teased. "You just bring out my younger, immature side."

"Oh, because you're so old and wise," I said snarkily. "If you're so above me, why are you even hanging around me, O Mighty One!" I began tossing things around my room as if I was looking for something. Dimitri frowned.

"You're upset," he stated, his voice calm. Even. Like always.

"Yes, I'm upset!" I snapped, stopping my rampage to look at him. "Ugh! Why are you always so controlled? Why can't you let loose once in awhile like a normal person?" I screamed at him.

He simply watched, guardian mask firmly on his face. But his eyes were chaotic with emotion.

I stood watching his in silence, before I couldn't take it any longer. I slammed my hands into his chest. "Show some emotion, dammit!"

Dimitri hadn't been expecting me to push him, causing him to stumble back a step. His eyes blazed.

"Enough!" he said, his voice intense, but not loud.

"It's always this!" I raged, waving my hands around. "You're always so controlled! You never show anything! It's like you don't even care! Like you're not even human! Like everything you do just comes naturally, no thought needed, no reaction needed! You're like a goddamned robot! You never fight back! You don't care! Fight back, dammit! Say a goddamned word! Take off that mask you wear like a second skin!" I continued yelling as Dimitri stood still in the middle of the room. I knew deep down that I was being unfair, but I couldn't seem to control myself.

After at least five minutes of me yelling, he finally had enough.

He grabbed my hand, which at that point had been jabbing him in the chest.

"Don't tell me what I'm feeling!" he snapped loudly.

I froze. He had never spoken to me like that, so angry and loud. I felt my eyes fill with tears. Staring at the wall behind Dimitri's shoulder, I fought against the pushy feeling, but it didn't stop Dimitri from seeing my tears.

His face softened and he dropped my hand, wrapping his arms around me instead.

"I'm sorry, Roza. So, so sorry." He whispered, his voice aching. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry." He began murmuring in Russian into my ear as the tears spilled over.

I sobbed, the hormones taking over this time. Dimitri rocked me gently as I started to calm down.

"I'm sorry," I blubbered out. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean it. You're amazing. I'm glad you're so controlled. Only God know what horribleness would have happened had you not been." I laughed shakily. Dimitri wiped the tears from my cheeks, and then kissed my forehead.

"It's alright, Roza," he said, his voice thick. "It's alright."

We stayed wrapped in each others' arms for several minutes before we finally broke apart. Dimitri grabbed my bag that I had packed for the vacation.

"Go clean up real quick. We have to get on the plane." He glanced at my clock. "We're already late."

I quickly went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. I checked my reflection in the mirror, grimacing when I saw my hair. I grabbed my hair brush from where it was sitting in the sink and ran it through my hair. Then, after applying a quick coat of lip gloss, I walked out.

Dimitri had my bag slung over his shoulder, sitting in my bed. He looked up when I walked out, a smile breaking over his face.

"You look beautiful, my Roza," he said, standing. "Come on now, before the plane leaves without us."

We walked out the door, and to the airstrip. Dimitri handed my bag to one of the guys working around the plane, and I assumed he would put it with the rest of the luggage. Or at least I hoped so. Knowing my luck, it would be thrown out, or somehow lost.

Dimitri and I walked onto the plane, and all eyes turned towards us. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. I looked around, seeing Lissa and Christian cuddled up in their own world. Eddie and Mason sat together, presumably goofing off. Tasha sat by herself, and looked up hopefully at Dimitri.

I felt a smirk crawl onto my lips when Dimitri put his hand on the small of my back and gently pushed me towards the back, passed her seat, to a pair of empty seats.

We settled in as everyone went back to what they were doing.

It was silent between is as the plane took off. Finally, Dimitri looked away from watching the plane. I could see him out of the corner of my eye as I stared out the window. The seating arrangement – me next to the window, him in the aisle seat – reminded me of when Lissa and I were captured last year, or well, a year and a half ago now, except it wasn't Dimitri but another guardian sitting next to me.

"Rose," he began.

I turned my head. "Yes?"

"I -" he stopped himself. "Be careful," he said instead. "I don't want you two to get hurt, okay?"

I sighed but nodded. "I'm not dumb, Dimitri. I know better than to endanger myself – or my baby." I replied.

He merely nodded, and we went back to the silence.

* * *

><p>After what seemed like forever, we finally touched down.<p>

I stood up, stretching. My back and feet had begun hurting lately. _Well, that's what you get for being almost five month pregnant. _A snide voice in my mind said. I ignored it, getting off the plane behind Dimitri.

We wandered the halls, saying hi to random people, until we reached a room. We stopped in front of the door.

"You and Lissa will be sharing it," he said. "And my room is just down the hall," he continued. "Number 56. If you need me, don't hesitate to come in, okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you." I gave him a quick hug.

"Your bags are already in there, so unpack, and then...do whatever," he said, pulling away.

I nodded again. "Okay, see you, Comrade," I said with a smile, opening my door.

I looked around the room, noting the two double beds, one on each side of the room. On the far wall, there was a window, and on the wall to my right there were three doors. Approaching the first door, I opened it to find an empty closet. I walked over to the farthest door, and found it opened into a closet also. Opening the middle door, I discover the bathroom. I stepped in, turning on the light. The room brightened, showing white tile floors, a towel rack, a bathtub, a toilet, a separate shower, and a sink with a mirror above it. The bathtub was a pretty soft green color, fitting nicely with the forest green tile walls. I stepped back into the room, my combat boots contrasting oddly with the royal green carpet.

Instead of unpacking, I decided to look for Lissa to apologize. I left my coat laying on the bed, figuring she wouldn't be outside.

As I wandered the halls, I heard a voice which haunted my nightmares – waking and sleeping.

"Well, look who's here! My very own blood whore! Don't tell me you've moved on already!"

I turned, horror-struck, and looked into the venomous green eyes of my rapist.

* * *

><p><em>AN: BAM! There you have, ladies and gentlemen! Now, I have a quite long author's note, so bear with me. You can skim over to get the gist._

**_Next chapter: _**_Ya'll get a present! Not only do you find out who the rapist is, but Tasha gets what's coming to her! :D that's all I'm saying for now! You'll have to wait until the next chapter, which you will get soon. I already started it(:_

**_New story: _**_I, along with author ChelseaJayBaybeh, am writing a story! This is our first collab, and it WILL be a 'characters reading the series.' NOW WAIT! BEFORE YOU STOP READING THIS, LET ME EXPLAIN! Our story WILL have a plot! I swear to you! the story will be posted on_ChelseaJayBaybeh_'s account, but I will be post when it gets updated! So if you like my stories, you will DEFINITELY like this!_

**_Readers of Until the End/This World We Live In: _**_Expect an update within the next week. I know, long time, but I have a chapter for both of the stories planned out, and both the chapters started._

**_Readers of My Wish: _**_I simply have to type up the next chapter; you will have it shortly after you read this. The chapter after that one...you will probably get tomorrow, or the next day. I simply have to finish it._

_Thank you all who participated in the Ban/signed the petition. It means a lot to all of us authors on Fanfiction. If you haven't had the chance to sign the petition but want to, here's the link: _www . change petitions / fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net**  
><strong>_just remove the spaces._

_Oh, and, one more thing: I changed my pen name(: I could be in the book now and I wouldn't have to change my name! (first one anyway) I'm like the unknown fourth sister :D Anyway, thank you all for reading my story and bearing with me :)_


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

I rushed down the hallway to Dimitri's room. Tears welled up in my eyes.

Just before I reached his room, I slammed into a warm wall. I bounced back, and steeled myself for the impact, but warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me into their chest. I started to scream when I felt the familiar shocks where ever the arms touched me. Dimitri, feeling me tense, let me go, backing away so there was a foot of space between us.

I looked up into his concerned eyes. "Roza! What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"He's here, Dimitri! He's here, and he's gonna hurt me again," I whimpered.

"Who? Who is here?" he asked, confused.

"HIM!" I exclaimed.

Just as I was about to continue, a figure appeared in the corner of my eye, running a pale hand up Dimitri's arm. I was so wound up and nervous and afraid, that seeing Tasha all over my Dimitri snapped me, and my fist was in her face before I was even conscious of making a fist.

Tasha fell to the ground, not at all prepared for the punch in the face. She clutched her cheek where I punched her, on the opposite side of her scar. _At least now she matches, _a voice said in my mind, sounding mildly interested. _Shit! _Was what the rest of me was thinking.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Tasha!" I forced the words. That's what she got for hanging all over my Dimitri, although when he became _my _Dimitri, I'm not sure.

Dimitri knelt down, helping her up. Once she was standing, I got a good look at her cheek. It was red and had already started to bruise. Oops.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm sorry, I'm just wound up, and I wasn't expecting to see you, and I thought you were someone else, and you startled me, and..." I continued to ramble on while Dimitri made sure nothing was broken.

"It's alright," Tasha assured me, looking oddly triumphant. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

"Are you alright?" Dimitri asked concerned.

That's when it hit me. No wonder she looked so smug! Dimitri was hanging all over her, making sure she was fine.

I gritted my teeth, then the reason behind all this came crashing down on me. "Oh, God," I uttered, feeling myself start to shake.

Dimitri sighed, glancing at me. "I have to take Tasha to the infirmary. Why don't you -"

"No!" I exclaimed.

Dimitri froze, looking at me with astonishment. "What?"

"Don't leave me alone," I pleaded, glancing around.

What I had said previously seemed to enter his mind. He looked between the two of us, torn for a moment, then let go of Tasha's arm. "Tasha, can you go by yourself? I have to take care of Rose," he asked.

Tasha turned ten shades of angry, but then calmed down. "I – alright, whatever," she muttered, walking away.

We watched her walk away. Once she was out of sight he turned to me. "What's going on Rose?" he asked.

I swallowed, glancing around again. "Can we – can we go somewhere...private?" I asked, my voice high.

He stared at me a moment longer, before taking my hand and pulling me to his room.

"What's happening?" he demanded once I was settled on his bed with him sitting next to me.

I took a deep breath. "My r-rapist is here." I stumbled over 'rapist,' not used to saying it.

Dimitri went rigid. "What?" He said in a low, dangerous voice.

I swallowed nervously. "He-he's here."

"Who?"

I licked my lips. "Adrian. Adrian Ivashkov."

**(A/N: I know some of you don't want Adrian to be the rapist, but there is a reason for it. It will become clearer farther into the story. Adrian is still Adrian.)**

Dimitri looked shocked. "What?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He took a couple calming breaths. "I want you to stay here, alright? I'm going to see if you can move into this room so I can keep you safe." He got up and started pacing like a caged tiger.

I watched him move across the room in long strides, back and forth. My thoughts flew. Suddenly, it hit me that Dimitri was indeed a man. What if he turned out like Adrian? Stupid question, I know, but...what if he did? I didn't think Adrian could do anything like this, either, but look where I am now. I recalled Dimitri saying he had beat the shit out of his father. Granted, that was because his father was hurting his mother, but that was besides the point. He had already yelled at me. Who's to say it won't happen again? We were technically together, but what if he wanted to take it further? Who would stop him?

I sprang up, all these thoughts filling my mind. "I have to go. I have to talk to Lissa," I said hurriedly, not looking at him. I escaped out of his room, my heart pounding.

Quickly, I delved into Lissa's mind, seeing that she was in our room relaxing on her bed.

I jogged quickly there, needing her.

Once I reached the room, I burst through the door, startling her.

"Rose!" She exclaimed, sitting up.

I collapsed onto the bed in front of her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I started crying, everything crashing down on me.

"Lissa!" I sobbed. "I saw him! Oh, my God, he's here!"

She looked at me with concern. "Who is here? Who, Rose?" She asked frantically.

"Him! My rapist! Adrian is here!"

She looked at me, confused. "No, Rose, Adrian can't be your rapist."

I nodded. "Yes, he is."

She shook her head. "NO, Adrian may have flirted with you, and somewhat harassed you, but he would never do that! Not sweet Adrian! He doesn't have it in him to hurt anyone."

I shook my head. "He's changed Liss. Something happened at the party to make him change."

Lissa kept shaking her head. "No, it must have been someone else at the party, and they compelled you to think it was Adrian."

"Liss, I just saw him. He called me his blood whore."

Lissa looked astonished.

My mind went back to that fateful night.

_Adrian Ivashkov, my mother's charge who had a hopeless crush on me, and desperately wanted to get in my pants, was hosting a party. It was your usual beer keg and loud music party, totally harmless._

_Until he brought me to his room. It was so simple._

_"Rose," Adrian said, coming up to me. "I need your help with something." He sounded so serious._

_I snorted. "What, a boner?" I asked sarcastically._

_He shook his head. "No, I'm serious. I really need your help." HE sounded so sincere. So serious. So of course I went to help him._

_He led me to his room. We stopped at his door._

_"Adrian, what's going on?" I demanded._

_He ran a hand through his hair, making it even more messy than usual. "I – the spirit is getting to me. The alcohol isn't working. There's something wrong."_

_I looked at him with concern. "Are you alright?"_

_He shook his head, and opened the door silently._

_I walked in, turning on the light. He followed behind me, closing and locking the door._

_That's when I got a really bad feeling._

_He looked me in the eye. "Get on the bed, Rose." His voice sounded so soothing, so smooth, of course I would get on the bed; why wouldn't I?_

_"Take off your clothing," he murmured, his voice like melted chocolate._

_I took off my clothes, then laid down on the bed. There was a harsh light in his eyes, a light that scared me back to my senses. I started to get up._

_"What -"_

_He looked me in the eye. "Stay on the bed, Little Dhampir." I lay back down._

_He climbed on top of me and held my wrists down. "You're going to help me, aren't you little dhampir?"_

_I nodded, helpless against him and his eyes._

_"Good." And then he entered me._

_The pain was like fire, it was going to Hell, and coming back just to see a slice of heaven, then being thrown back in. There was no relief. He no longer had to compel me; the pain held me down._

_"Come on Rose, you know you like it. You're just like any other dhampir, aren't you?" I screamed as he penetrated me again, the pain like fire inside my body, bloody and hot. "Yes, you like it alot."_

_All of a sudden, there was a pounding on the door. We both froze and he looked at the door, frustrated. I opened my mouth to scream when my mother's voice came through the door, and I hoped._

_"Keep it down in there, would you? There are other people in this house too, you know!" And she left. He put his hand over my mouth before I could make a sound._

_He smiled sadistically down at me. "You heard your mother, Rosie. Keep it down!" And with that, he sank his teeth into my neck, biting me as he continued to push and pull, in and out. I was lost in a world of pain, and agony. I lost myself, wishing it would stop, wishing I could do anything to stop it._

_After what happened in his room, I passed out. I woke up in my own bed, thinking it was all a nightmare... Until I got up. The pain was searing. I made it to the bathroom, barely. My neck appeared mangled. There was definitely going to be scarring._

_I stayed in my room for three straight days, unable to come out, filled with the shame of what I allowed him to do to me. I couldn't face him._

_On the third day, mom finally had enough and broke down the door._

_I told her he raped me. She didn't believe me, and took me to the doctor. That's when I found out I was pregnant._

_I simply told Lissa I was raped; I didn't want her to know who. And now it was too late._

"Rose. Are you sure it was Adrian?" Lissa asked again.

I looked at her, feeling my heart break. _She didn't believe me._

_But who would? _That little voice asked snidely. _Adrian Ivashkov? Sure, he is a playboy, but he could never harm a soul._

I let out another sob, pulling away from her. I needed my mother.

"Rose! Rose, wait!" Lissa cried out, but I was already gone.

I realized I had no idea where my mom's room was, so I went up to the front desk and asked.

"Room 36," the woman replied in a bored voice. I nodded thanking her, then took off in search of my mother.

Once I reached the desired room, I walked in, not even bothering to knock.

"Rose!" My mom exclaimed, similar to Lissa's reaction.

I went up to her and explained what happened. Then I moved on to my Dimitri issue.

"Mom, what if Dimitri hurts me like Adrian did? I can't do it!" I sobbed. "He's a man, he's going to do the same thing! He's already yelled at me!"

"Did he have a reason to yell at you?" Mom asked patiently, stroking my hair while I sobbed on her shoulder, for the second time today.

"Well, I was yelling at him and saying mean things, but he didn't have to yell!" I cried out.

Mom sighed and pulled away, making me face her. "Rose, I have seen how Guardian Belikov is with you, and he cares about you. I'm sure he would never hurt you. He probably thinks of you as one of his sisters," Mom said earnestly. "Not all men are like Adrian. Most aren't, actually. At least, anyone who isn't royal. Guardian Belikov is one of those rare men who wouldn't dream of laying a hand on a woman to help her up unless she deems it alright. You shouldn't worry about that."

Hesitantly, I nodded.

"He will keep you safe," Mom continued. "I will talk to Alberta, and see if you can move in with him, or, if it makes you more comfortable, I can have him move in with you and Lissa. Would that be better?" Mom looked at me lovingly.

After a moments thought, I nodded. "Yeah, have him move in with me and Liss. That would be much better."

"Okay, I'll talk to Alberta, while you go and talk to Lissa. It seems as if you have a lot to discuss."

I nodded again. Now that I had finally calmed down and was no longer hysterical, I realized how irrational I was about Dimitri. Of course he would never hurt me. But that scared little girl in the back of my mind warned me to be wary of him. _You never know what may happen _she whispered, and try as I might, I couldn't get rid of the wariness.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This isn't the end of the chapter. I don't really know how to end it, but, well...this will be the last update for a while. Writer's block is a bitch. If anyone has ANY ideas, please let me know. I'm kinda lost...:(_**  
><strong>_oh, and check out my collab with ChelseaJayBayBeh while you're waiting :D _www . Fanfiction . (n)(e)(t) /s/8228125/1/Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You Thank you all for your reviews!**  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**THANK YOU TO Abinator7 and georgia d. rose FOR THEIR CHAPTERS, shadow-kissed angel, MyRussianCowboy and anon RD FOR THEIR SUGGESTIONS. A MAJORITY OF THIS CHAPTER IS Abinator7. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZINGNESS! georgia d. rose, I shall include your chapter sometime soon(: ONCE MORE: THANK YOU!**

DPOV:

I hated him. I had hardly met him and I already hated him. Adrian Ivashkov. The name in my head felt like poison, making my vision tinged with red and a metallic taste form in the back of my mouth. He had hurt my Roza, and he was going to pay. He was such a sick bastard. Just thinking about him made me want to scream out all of the anger I was feeling inside. _How could anyone hurt a woman?_ I asked myself. And not just any woman - Roza. With her perfect, angelic features, a laugh that made you feel warm inside, and a kind of innocence that was so rare... How could anyone destroy that like he had? I growled out loud. I would keep her and our baby safe, I vowed to myself. No matter what it took. As soon as I got our living arrangements settled, as it was now decided I would be moving in with her and Lissa, I would not let her and our baby out of my sight.

* * *

><p>RPOV<p>

I sat in my room, with Lissa right next to me, gently stroking my hair. After talking to Alberta about moving Dimitri somewhere near me, Mom had walked me to my room. It had been decided that Dimitri would move in with us, unless I chose to move in with him. Alberta was all for me living with him, but respected my choices.

Lissa had been lounging in her bed when I walked in. Immediately, she had rushed to me, apologizing for calling me a liar. She told me that she believed me about Adrian, but I could sense her doubt through the bond, and it made my stomach hurt to think that my best friend didn't believe me. I closed my eyes and focused on taking deep breaths. I thought about Dimitri moving in with me and Liss. It made me feel so much more comfortable than me moving in with him.

But then I started thinking. How could I expect Dimitri to stay with me instead of going with Tasha when she could give him everything and I couldn't spend the night alone with him in separate beds not doing anything? I knew it was silly to be afraid. I knew that he would never touch me, let alone hurt me, unless he knew it was okay with me, 100%. But then that annoying voice in the back of my head started talking._ You never know. You're a hot teenage girl and his hormones might get the better of him._ There was a hiccup in my breathing as that thought ran through my mind. What if..._ No,_ I told myself harshly. How could I even _think_ of making Dimitri give up everything when I didn't even trust him to treat me right? I thought about that for a moment.

Then I took a deep breath. I would either have to have a leap of faith, faith in my Dimitri, in my Comrade, a leap so big I wasn't sure I could clear it without hopelessly coming short and falling. Or I would have to do the right thing and let him go and experience the future that I couldn't give him. I closed my eyes, breathed in heavily through my nose, and then sat up straighter, preparing to get off of the bed.

"Rose?" Lissa questioned uncertainly. "Where are you going?"

I looked over at my best friend since forever and told her, "I need to talk to Dimitri. I'll be back soon."

She looked a little hurt, but just nodded. I groaned as I got up, being nearly five months pregnant will do that to you. I walked out of the door taking yet another deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do.

I had made my decision.

* * *

><p>DPOV<p>

I was in my room getting ready to pack my stuff to move in with Rose and the Princess when I heard the door creak open behind me. I turned around to face the potential threat and was met by my Roza's nervous gaze. I automatically relaxed on the outside, hoping it would help her, but as usual, she saw right through me.

"No need to be so tense, Comrade," she said with a dry smile. I could see that she was trying to take the attention off her own tension.

"What is it, Roza?" I asked. "Is something wrong?" I mentally kicked myself. Her rapist was hunting her down and was a threat to her and our baby. What wasn't wrong?

"No, no, I'm fine." I raised an eyebrow in question. "Really, I am." I knew she was far from fine, but decided to pretend to believe her.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

Rose took another slow deep breath, making her chest rise and fall. God, she was beautiful.

"If it's still ok with you, I'd like to stay with you in your room," she said, finishing her sentence with uncertainty in her voice.

"Roza... You don't have to do this. I'm fine with moving in with you and Lissa." But halfway through my reply she started shaking her head.

"No," she said. "Yeah, I'm scared and I have no clue if I'm going to be able to handle it. But I trust you. As hard as it is for me, I do. I trust you to respect me and not to do anything that makes me uncomfortable or that I'm not ok with. And I trust you with this because... I - I care about you...alot. And it's not the hormones, trust me," she added as if she had read my mind.

I just stood there speechless while she stared at me unsure. And then I burst inside with joy. She trusted me. She trusted me where no other man could go anywhere near her. And not only was she trusting me with her safety, but her heart too. I knew she wasn't ready to say _those_ words, but it was a step in the right direction. And I knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that I loved her with every fiber in my being, and no matter how wrong everyone else might think it was, this was right. I knew it was. Slowly, I closed the space between us until I stood about a foot away from her, and looked at her, asking permission with my eyes. She nodded, and I closed the rest of the distance and caught her in my arms, hugging her to me.

"Thank you so much for trusting me. I know it's not easy, but I promise you that I will never do anything to lose that trust. I...you're the best thing in my life." Oh, how badly I wanted to tell her that I loved her. Never before had I felt such strong emotion for another person.

I felt a tear cascade down her cheek and I rubbed it away with my thumb, looking into her eyes.

"Thank you for not giving up on me," Rose said thickly. "You're the best thing in my life too. But I'm broken. It's gonna take a long time for me to be whole."

"I know," I murmured back. "But I promise to be there every step of the way."

She pulled away slightly to look up at me. "Really?" she asked in a small voice.

"Really," I answered with a full smile.

Rose smiled in response, lighting up her whole face despite the tears lingering. "Thank you, Comrade," she whispered, then stood on her tippy toes and pressed a light kiss on my lips.

* * *

><p>LPOV:<p>

After Rose left to go and find Dimitri, I sighed. I knew that Rose would never lie to me, but could Adrian really be her rapist? Drunk, partying, playboy Adrian who wouldn't hurt anyone but himself by smoking and drinking excessively? Maybe that was it, maybe he had been really drunk... But I had seen him drunk, and he never got anywhere near that bad. I sighed. I was going to have to trust Rose on this one. I wouldn't openly shun Adrian until I was sure, and until I was I would just do my best to stay away.

I got up and went off to find Christian. Halfway to his room, I saw Adrian. At first, I hesitated, remembering Rose. Before I could turn away, Adrian spotted, and his face broke out in a smile.

"Lissa!" he called out, coming towards me. "Long time, no see. I was hoping to run into you. What's up?"

He seemed perfectly normal. He looked and acted exactly how he did when I last saw him, almost six months ago.

I frowned and decided to test him. "Just worried about Rose," I said casually.

A concerned look appeared on Adrian's face. "Oh, is she okay? What's wrong?" He look genuinely worried.

My frown deepened. "Her pregnancy...well, she's Rose and she's pregnant," I said. "Plus...well, being raped tends to mess with your mind, too." I held my breath, watching him carefully for any indication that he did it.

By the looks of it, Adrian had no knowledge of it. His eyes widened in horror. "Who would do such a thing?" he asked, disgust in his voice. "I mean, Rose isn't easy, that's for sure, but once you wear down her walls, she'll let you in, you just have to work for it. I did, and well..." He smiled slightly, as if remembering something happy, but then the expression became troubled and upset. "But to force her? Why would anyone do that? That's just...sadistic." He shook his head, looking sick to his stomach.

"So...you don't know anything about it?" I asked tentatively.

Adrian looked at me, brow furrowed with confusion. "Why would I know anything about it?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"It happened at your party..." I said in a 'duh' voice.

His eyes widened, if possible, even more. "But...what? That's not possible! Unless it was after I passed out...damn it! Do you know who did it?" Adrian looked really mad.

I hesitated, but decided to not tell him about Rose's claims. "No," I lied. "She won't say anything. Too traumatizing, I guess."

He frowned. "Do you want me to talk to her? It must have happened after I passed out. I mean, I woke up, and she wasn't there...Dammit!" He pulled at his hair in frustration.

"No, don't talk to her, she has an issue with men," I said hurriedly.

Adrian nodded. "Okay. Thanks for telling me. Tell her I said hi. I...Is she here?" he asked.

I stared at him in surprise. "Didn't you see her today?"

Adrian looked at me with equal surprise. "No, why?"

I shrugged. "Oh, just thought you would. She was wandering around earlier." Something was up, and I needed to find out why. "I have to go now. We'll have to hang out sometime."

Adrian nodded distractedly, deep in thought. "See ya," he mumbled.

I hurried away, my thoughts racing.

* * *

><p>RPOV:<p>

That night, as I lay in bed, I was terrified. I had never been alone with a man in a dark room since IT happened and I was sweating buckets from the nerves. Dimitri watched me worriedly from his bed on the other side of the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, and I could tell from his expression it was killing him not to comfort me.

I just nodded, and seeing he needed a more substantial answer I replied with, "Yeah, I'm fine."

I could tell he had his doubts, but he didn't press the matter. Smart man. No one pisses off a Hathaway and gets away with it, especially a pregnant, highly hormonal Hathaway. "Let's just go to sleep, ok?" I said, praying I would have enough willpower to even close my eyes with him in the room. He nodded.

"Ok. Night." he said, and with that he turned off the light, laid down, and closed his eyes.

I took a deep breath and did the same, curling up into a ball to keep warm under the thick down comforter. Right when I had my breathing steadied, and was just warming up, I heard a loud_ thunk_ as the heater quit. So here I was, in the friggin Alpine mountains, in the middle of winter with no heat and a guy less than fifteen feet away from me.

Shit.

* * *

><p>DPOV:<p>

_Oh, shit!_ was all that I could think as I heard the heater quit. I was going to bring it up but didn't want to wake up Roza in case she was asleep. I laid there for about an hour when I started to hear her shaking. I felt horrible that she was suffering through this, but I didn't know how to help without being near her, so I decided to just pretend to be asleep and let her handle it. And she did handle it.

"Dimitri?" I heard her whisper. "Dimitri, are you awake?"

_Yes, Roza. I am awake._ I thought, but remained silent. I heard her breathing hitch and heard as she calmed herself. What she did next shocked the hell out of me, and even if I wasn't pretending to be asleep I wouldn't have been able to voice my shock out loud, because I was frozen in place, scared that if I moved she'd break.

She sat up, got out of bed, stripped the bed of its blankets, walked over to me, breathing uneven, and spread all of the blankets on top of my bed. She then crawled under the covers, and laid stiffly as far away from me as possible. Neither of us dared breath. She suddenly relaxed and wiggled over until she was right next to me, then proceeded to worm her way up under my arm and bury her face in my chest.

"Night, Comrade," she whispered softly, affection in her voice. After her breathing steadied and I was sure that she was asleep, I whispered gently into her hair, "Goodnight, my Roza," with a small smile on my face. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep beside her in the dark.

* * *

><p>Adrian POV:<p>

The phone rang, waking me out of a deep slumber. I had slept off my usual medication, and I could feel the darkness lurking, looming closer, threatening to take over my mind. But instead of reaching for a cigarette, my hand reached for the phone.

"Hello?" My voice was rough from sleep.

"Adrian, baby, how are you?" The silky voice of my girlfriend on the other end of the phone woke me right up. I felt my dark side rear up, and a wicked grin crawled onto my face.

"Hey, babe," I said, my voice dark. Something nudged on the back of my head, but I ignored it. Avery loved my dark side and encouraged it. It was the only time I could get rid of the darkness, and she enjoyed every second of it.

"How was your day?" Her voice had also taken on a darker quality.

"Oh, fine. I ran into that blood whore today. God, she looks so fat now that she's pregnant. I don't see what I found in her." Again, something wiggle and gripped the back of my mind, but something else pushed it away. For a moment, I was concerned, but Avery began speaking again, distracting me.

"Any chance we can meet up sometime soon?" she asked, her voice icy smooth.

"Mm, yeah. And soon means soon. Tomorrow night, maybe?" I asked feeling the darkness seeping throughout my body at the thought of seeing Avery.

"Absolutely," she purred.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well...sorry for the long wait. I know I jumped POV's a lot, but the chapter wouldn't have worked without it. What do you think? Worth it? Not? What do you think of Adrian's POV? Lissa's?**_

_**If anyone wants to submit a chapter for the story, I'm still accepting them! Obviously, after this one...**_


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

RPOV:

The next morning, I woke up feeling utterly warm, safe, and comfortable. It took me several moment to realise why I was so content. When I did, my eyes snapped open and my breathing stopped.

I was face to face with Dimitri's chest, his arms wrapped securely around me. I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do.

**"**Roza," Dimitri mumbled.

My entire body completely froze. Was he awake? If he was, why wasn't he moving?

Dimitri mumbled something incoherent and shifted, bringing me even closer. One hand moved to my stomach, holding it protectively.

**"**My Roza," Dimitri mumbled again.

The air rushed back into my lungs and my body unfroze simultaneously. He was dreaming. About me. I couldn't describe the feeling that coursed through me; it left me warm and tingling. I analyzed it for a moment, before realising it was affection, but stronger than affection. My body froze once more as it dawned on me that the feeling just might be love.

Dimitri decided to choose that moment to wake up. He blinked his eyes open and flexed his arms, seeming startled when he realised I was in them. He took in my tense body and immediately recoiled, moving to the edge of the bed away from me.

"I am so sorry, Roza!" he cried out, getting out of bed. In his haste to make me comfortable, he tripped on the blanket, stumbling and face-planting on the floor.

This made me snort with laughter, breaking my tension.

"Comrade, calm down! I wasn't tense because I was afraid or anything. Come back to bed." I patted the spot next to me which he had just vacated.

Dimitri crawled back into bed. "If that wasn't it, then why?" he asked, looking at me with concern.

I took a deep breath. "I realised something," I said softly.

"What?" he asked curiously.

I hesitated. Could I say it? "I -" The words seemed to get stuck in my throat. I couldn't force them out. I took another deep breath. "I-uh, I really, really care about you. A lot. And I'm sorry I can't say it, but I do feel it." I avoided his eyes, not wanting to see the disappointed look in them.

"Roza." Dimitri tilted my head up with his fingertips. I tried to not look into his eyes to no avail. Finally I gave up and let them meet his.

His brown eyes were filled with - _gulp _- love. They were shining with happiness and he looked like he'd just won a million dollars.

"Roza, I would love to hear those word from you, but there is no rush. I'd much rather you say them when you're ready, than force them out when you are not. I love you."

I breathed in sharply. He had never said it so boldly.

"I do," he continued, now cradling my face in his hands. "And nothing can change that. You are the best thing that has happened to me. I'll never let anything bad happen to you. I'll always keep you safe."

He ended his speech with a kiss on my forehead.

"Oh, Comrade!" I breathed out, tears soaking my face. I threw my arms around him and smashed our lips together, ignoring the little voice in my head that reminded me of the fact I'm not the one he was supposed to promise to keep safe. Dimitri chuckled deep in his chest, but kissed me back.

It was the most loving kiss I had ever experienced. I half expected light to shining from our lips, because that's how bright and happy it felt. My heart swelled up so much I felt like I would burst. Breaking the contact between our lips, I leaned my forehead against his and looked him in the eye, the words flowing flawlessly from my lips.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>Since I was practically five months along, I couldn't exactly go stunt skiing. Dimitri didn't want me skiing in the dark anyway, so we just took a stroll around the grounds and rode on the ski lift just for the fun of it. I felt a little pang of jealousy every time I saw my friends doing crazy stunts and having a blast, but Dimitri always made me feel better. When there was no one around or no one was paying attention, Dimitri would hold my hand. Even though I was all bundled up in a parka, fur boots, scarf, gloves and hat, every time he touched me with his own gloved hand, spark shot through me.<p>

I kept the buzz of Lissa's feelings to the back of my mind, just to make sure she was safe. She was spending the day with Christian and Tasha; happiness and love filled the bond. I felt a bit guilty for not being worried about her or even really paying attention to her, but assured myself she was fine with Christian.

Dimitri and I were ice-skating on a frozen pond on the edge of the property when a jolt of surprise from Lissa made me slip. I was braced for impact, but just in the nick of time Dimitri swooped in and caught me.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

I held up a finger. "Hang on." I slipped into Lissa's mind.

In front of her stood Adrian. Automatically, I felt myself become terrified, my breathing and heart rate speeding up. I forced myself to stay in Lissa's head.

"Adrian!" Lissa exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Adrian shrugged. "I was just wondering if you wanted to start up spirit practices again," he replied casually.

Lissa was shocked once more. She hadn't even thought of starting those again. "I-yeah! That would be awesome!" she cried out happily. She didn't even consider what it would do to me, spirit or being around Adrian.

I was so astonished at this that I found myself right back in my own body.

"Roza!" Dimitri shook my shoulder gently.

I was still froze in a state of shock. He carefully led me off the ice and to a bench nearby.

"Talk to me, Roza. You're scaring me." Dimitri sounded frantic with worry and that was the only thing that broke me from my catatonic state.

"She's going to practice spirit with him," I said numbly, my voice small.

"Who? What?"

I finally turned to him. "Lissa is going to practice spirit with Adrian."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well...look at this! A new chapter! I'll try to keep up with both this story and Until the End. Here's to hoping it works! lol. Well, I hope all of you enjoyed it, especially the new twist! For those of you who will be wondering, yes, he WILL go back to St. Vlad's with them :D Anyway...thanks to all of my reviewers! Next chapter shouldn't be too long(: **_


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I didn't know who was more stunned in that moment, Rose or me. I couldn't believe Lissa would do that to her best friend. Didn't she care about Rose at all?

"And it's not only Adrian," Rose said hollowly. Her voice her me, it was so empty. It felt like it was freezing me, quite the opposite of its usual warm quality. "She knows what using spirit does to her. She always gets so upset, which means I'll have to take care of her and make sure she's okay. It's karma, isn't it?" Rose looked at me, her eyes as empty as her voice. "It's because I wasn't thinking about her when I was with you, because I wasn't being a good guardian, so now I am forced to uphold my duties."

I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. The two of us had always skirted around the fact that both of us were Lissa's guardians. I knew we would have to face it sometime, but hoped it would be later in the year, after we had figured some things out.

"No, Roza," I assured her. "It's not because you have been slacking. You're pregnant, you're not on duty. You need to relax. Let me know if there is anything wrong with Lissa, and I'll take care of it, okay? Right now, I am her guardian, I am the one who is supposed to worry. Not you. You need to take care of yourself and your baby right now." I hoped to God that she didn't take anything wrong in my little speech, but of course, I once more forgot that she was a hormonal Rose.

"Oh, so you're saying that's all I'm good for? Taking care of my child? I'm not some worthless blood whore, Dimitri! I'm not going to sit on my ass in some dhampir commune! I'm going to guard Lissa whether you think I can or not!" she snapped.

I stared at her, appalled. I couldn't believe she had just said that. Yes, my family lived in a dhampir community, and she knew that, but she also knew that they were all trained and ready to fight for their town. They chose not to be part of the guardian life. She also knew that they weren't blood whores and that it was a sensitive subject.

It seemed that she finally realised what she had said because she slapped her hand on her mouth. "Oh, my God, Dimitri, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!"

She continued rambling her apologies, looking near tears. No, scratch that, she _was_ crying. Part of me wanted to gather her up in my arms and kiss her tears away, while the rest of me, the larger part which was angry and sincerely hurt that she said that, wanted to just walk away and not talk to her for a very long time.

I took several deep breaths, reminding myself that she was pregnant and her hormones were all over the place. _She didn't mean it. She was just mad. _When I was sure I wouldn't do anything rash, I looked at her, my face blank.

"Let's go inside."

I spun around on my heel, and started walking forward. I heard Rose quickly follow me, but I didn't turn around to look.

The walk back to our room was long, as we were all the way across the grounds. It took us at least a half an hour to get back to the buildings through the three foot deep snow. Several times I would here Rose panting behind me, trying to catch up, so I would slow down until she was no longer in a hurry.

We stepped into the building and blinked for several moments at the suddenly bright lights. In the sudden absence of footsteps or shouts from other people, I heard Rose's stomach growl. With a pang of guilt, I realised that she hadn't eaten lunch yet. I wondered how long she had been this hungry and why she hadn't said anything. Then I remembered I was mad at her.

For a moment, I considered my next course of action. Go to the room and drop off our outdoor clothing or go straight to the dining room. I debated for a moment, then decided to drop off our clothing first; it would be easier. I motioned with my head that we were going down to our rooms.

Once there, I took off my winter gear, then glanced to see if Rose needed my help. She was struggling a little bit with her boots, so I went over and gently pushed her to sit on her bed. Carefully, I pulled of first one boot, then the other. After they were off, I pulled off her socks and massaged her feet for a few minutes, knowing that they were starting to bother her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, running a hand through my hair.

I sighed and laid my head in her lap. She continued to play with my hair.

"I really didn't mean it. I was just so mad. I know that you didn't mean it that way, you were just worried and wanted to take care of me. I had no right saying that. Please forgive me?" she pleaded.

I sighed and lifted my head up. She looked so worried and ashamed that I couldn't help but forgive her. I could see that she was being completely honest, and truly didn't mean anything she said. Hell, she didn't believe anything she said. I sighed again and moved to sit next to her on the bed. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, kissing the crown of her head.

"That really hurt me, Roza," I murmured.

"I know," she mumbled back. "But I wasn't thinking. I just...I felt so angry, more angry than usual. I felt out of control. I didn't know how to stop." She shuddered.

I felt very concerned in that moment. "Roza...what did it feel like?" I asked hesitantly.

"It felt dark. Evil. I've felt similar feeling in Lissa," she replied, shuddering again. "Comrade, what if I'm going insane?"

I clutched her to me. "You won't; I'll make sure you won't."

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully.

I nodded, determined. "Yes. Now, let's go eat. My son is hungry, and so, I'm sure, is his mother," I said, standing up. Even though we didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl, I liked to think of it as a boy.

Rose giggled, not correcting me. I was sure she wanted a boy too, but she never said which she prefered. "Yes, daddy is correct. Both of us are very hungry." She stood up on her tippy-toes and kissed me on the cheek. "Just let me put on my sneakers."

"Want some help?" I asked.

Rose shook her head. "Nope. I don't have to tie them, just shove my feet in," she replied lightly.

I waited for her to put on her shoes, then we walked out of the door. We made our way to the dining room. On the way there, we ran into Christian.

Immediately, we released our hands, which I hadn't even realised we were holding. Christian fell into step next to me.

"Hey, Christian," Rose said, leaning around me to see him. "Why aren't you with Lissa?"

Christian grimaced. "She's practicing spirit with Ivashkov. Cocky bastard, that one is."

Rose chuckled. "Oh, cause you're not?"

Christian put on a mock sincere look. "Of course not! Why would you think that?!"

Rose chuckled, but then seemed to remember what he said. "Wait, you left Lissa alone..with _him?_" She looked astonished.

Christian frowned, confused. "Yes. Why?"

Rose's eyes went wide. "Chris...he's the one. He's the one who..." she trailed off, getting a faraway look on her face.

Christian looked at her blankly for a moment before he realised what she meant.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking horrified. "I mean, not that I don't believe you, but are you sure?"

Rose laughed bitterly. "You'd think I would know, wouldn't you?"

Christian nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose you would. Does Lissa know?" he asked.

Rose sighed wearily. "Yes. No. I don't know. I told her, but she clearly doesn't believe me." She looked near tears again, so I took her hand, what people think be damned.

"It's alright, Rose," I said gently, squeezing her hand. "Just talk to Lissa, tell her about your concerns. She's your best friend; she'll help you."

Rose looked at me doubtfully once more. "You think she'll listen to me?"

I hated seeing the upset expression on her face. I never wanted to see anything but a smile on it.

"Of course! And even if she doesn't believe you about Adrian, tell her you'll be too stressed out if she were to start up practice again. Ask her to do it after you have the baby." I caressed her stomach gently.

She smiled a little. Not much, but it was better than her previous expression.

"And if that doesn't work, I'm sure Christian can talk to her, right?" I turned my head to the left to glance at him.

Christian was giving us a strange look as we walked hand in hand, but didn't comment.

"What? Oh, yeah, sure, I'll talk to her if need be." A puzzled look crossed his face but he physically shook off the thought that placed it there. "Well, I'm gonna go check on Lissa. See ya." He waved, then jogged back in the direction from which he had come.

"Odd," Rose commented.

I released our hands as we reached the dining hall. "Very," I agreed.

* * *

><p>After a large lunch, Rose wanted to visit her mom. I had a shift so I simply told her that I would come find her once it was over.<p>

The shift was very uneventful, except for when I had to break up a fight between two Moroi. _Roza would have loved it, _I thought, chuckling.

I met Rose at her mom's room after my shift, and together we walked to dinner.

* * *

><p>We were halfway through dinner when the doors opened again. Automatically, both of our heads lifted up to see who it was.<p>

The Princess came in, followed by a tall Moroi man. He had messy brown hair and was smoking. Next to me, Rose tensed.

Taking my eyes away from the two Moroi, I looked down at Rose to see her staring at someone across the room, looking terrified. I followed her gaze to the brown haired Moroi and the Princess, who had now spotted us and were coming to our table.

For a second, I didn't understand her reaction, but then it clicked in my head. It was Adrian Ivashkov.

And he was bee-lining straight for us.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: A bit short, I know, and with a mean cliff-hanger, BUT earlier than expected :D Don't worry, you'll (hopefully) get the next chapter soon. I've already started it, in fact! So...Christian knows, and Dimitri is about to officially meet Adrian. Thoughts, anyone? I loved the reviews! You guys are just amazing! I love you all! Thank you so, so, so much! You seriously made my week! Mwa! Kisses and hugs for all! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo 3 **_


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does. DPOV:

I felt myself tense and my hand instinctively wrap around Rose and her stomach protectively. I buried any emotion that might have been on my face deep within me. By the time the Princess and Ivashkov reached us, my face was perfectly blank. Next to me, on the other hand, Rose was having a quiet break down.

Before I could figure out how to get us out of this situation, they were upon us. Seemingly clueless, they both sat down in front of us.

"Hey, Rose, hi Guardian Belikov," Lissa said cheerily.

I nodded stiffly in response, pulling Rose closer to my side. I began drawing comforting circles on her stomach. Being this stressed was at all good for our baby, and if anyone caused Rose to go through a miscarriage because they were too stupid to be careful around her and _not _stress her out, I would kill them. Rose loved the baby and so did I; losing it would destroy both of us.

"Deep breaths, Roza," I murmured, leaning close to her ear. "I'll get us out."

"Rose, you remember Adrian, right?" Lissa continued, oblivious as she stirred her soup.

After a moment's hesitation, Rose nodded stiffly. Adrian smiled, looking happy to see her.

Lissa turned to me. "Guardian Belikov, this is Adrian Ivashkov, a really good friend of ours. We've been catching up on things all day."

Adrian held out a hand to shake, but I ignored it, barely acknowledging him.

**"**Could you move away from Rose, Lord Ivashkov?" I said coldly. "Rose is not comfortable being this close to...men." I stopped myself from saying something I would regret.

Ivashkov looked genuinely shocked and slightly hurt. "Oh, um, sure." He moved towards me - and away from Rose - a couple feet. His actions and what Rose told me were confusing me; why was he being so careful and willing to make things easier on Rose? It had to be fabricated to keep Lissa close.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my anger at his fakeness in. I felt Rose's hand on my knee, mimicking the movements my hand was making on her stomach. Looking down, I saw her upturned face furrowed with concern. Taking several deep breaths, I calmed myself for Rose's sake.

**"**Rose, I hope you get used to guys quicker because Adrian is going to come back with us to the Academy to work with me on magic." Lissa was bubbling with happiness and excitement.

**"**That's-that's great," Rose squeaked.

Why didn't she say she didn't want Lissa working on magic? In that instant, I realised exactly how terrified Rose was. Where had my strong, brave Roza gone? I wondered, looking down at the small girl in my arms. Suddenly, I was scared; not for myself, but for Rose.

**"**We should be going," I said hurriedly, preparing to stand.

**"**What - wait, no! You don't have to leave! We just started talking and it's been so long since I've talked to Rose; I was hoping to catch up," Ivashkov exclaimed. He looked at Rose. "Come on, tell your jailer to stay. It's been so long since we've seen each other!"

I felt a wave of homicidal rage. The only thing that kept me from tearing him limb from limb was Rose's now restraining hand. She looked at me uneasily before giving Ivashkov a smile that looked more like a grimace.

**"**Great seeing you, but we must go!" She stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me after her. I resisted.

Instead, I leaned close to Ivashkov so neither girl could hear and said in a deadly calm whisper, "Stay away from Rose. If you get within ten feet of her, you will find yourself suddenly thirty feet away, plastered on whatever is nearest, be it a tree or a building. Don't look at her, don't think of her, don't even dream about her. If you do..." I gave him a predatory smile. "I know a guy who knows a guy, and if you were to suddenly disappear, no one would find you. Stay the hell away from her." I gave him another dark smile as I leaned back.

His eyes turned a dark, dark green all of a sudden and shadows shifted in them. "Can't be around 24/7," he taunted.

I started to lunge at him only to be stopped by Rose.

**"**Comrade, come on," she said almost desperately, pulling on my arm.

I stayed tense for attack for a moment, glaring at Adrian.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lissa look confused and horrified. Finally, I turned away, keeping Rose close.

As we walked away, Ivashkov called out, "Bye Rosie!" causing Rose to shudder and speed up.

* * *

><p>By the time we reached our room, Rose was shaking from fear.<p>

"Oh, God, oh, God, no, no, no," she kept mumbling, clinging to me.

As soon as we were in the privacy of our locked room, I pulled her into my arms, completely lifting her off the ground. I carried her to my bed and sat against the headboard, Rose in my lap and clutching my shirt.

"It's okay, Roza," I whispered, running my hands along her arms and back. I kissed her cheeks, her head, her shoulders. "It's okay. Everything will be fine. He won't touch you, milaya." I continued rambling reassuring words, sometimes switching to Russian and never stopping peppering her with gentle pecks.

I kept this up until she finally stopped shaking calmed down. Then, I just gently rocked her, keeping my lips in her hair.

There was nothing I could do except comfort her and make her feel safe. I could do nothing to Ivashkov. Thankfully, I was speaking the truth when I said I could make him disappear. Even thought that meant calling in a favor from Abe Mazur, it would be worth whatever I owed to keep Rose safe.

"He called me Rosie while he..." she said in a shadow of her voice.

I swallowed, feeling close to tears. I hated seeing her in so much pain.

"What did you tell him?" she asked suddenly.

I sighed. "Just to stay away from you and if he didn't then there will be consequences."

"Dimitri...I don't want you to get in trouble for me," she murmured, finally lifting her head to look at me.

I smiled softly. "I won't, don't worry." I leaned my head down and kissed her softly on the lips.

Keeping our lips attached, Rose shifted so that she was now straddling me. She deepened the kiss, surprising me. I simply followed her lead.

With Rose in charge, the kiss rapidly turned passionate. Tentatively, she ran her hands along my chest, slowly caressing my muscles through my shirt. Though hesitant at first, Rose became more bold as I made no move to stop her. She slipped her small warm hand beneath my shirt while the other hand tangled in my hair, holding my face securely to hers. I let out an involuntary moan from the wonderful feeling which coursed through me at her touches. I felt myself become aroused as her tongue danced with mine.

I kept my hands on Rose's hips, partly to show her she was in charge, which I felt she needed after today, and partly to keep myself in control. I had to pull myself from the kiss to breathe, but she continued to kiss down my neck. It felt so good; I never wanted her to stop.

It was almost empowering to have Rose in control. I was completely at her mercy and it was a heady feeling.

She raised her head back up to my lips, resuming our kiss as she slowly pulled my shirt up. Breaking the kiss briefly, she pulled off my shirt. I knew I should stop her, but it had been so long since I'd had enjoyable physical contact to this extent that I couldn't find the willpower to stop it.

I allowed my hands to ghost up Rose's sides before circling around her back and pulling her closer to me. Her stomach was completely pressed against my own now, as well as her chest. Rose broke our kiss once more, continuing down my neck and then her lips hit my chest. Another moan was torn from my lips as she ran her tongue over my heart. I wanted more, so much more. I wanted to devour her. Unbeknownst me, my hands had made their way up her shirt and to her bra, and were now resting on either side of her breasts. I knew I had to stop it, despite my desire to take things further; I couldn't, and I knew it.

I removed my hands from Rose's shirt and gently pushed her away.

"Stop. Roza, stop," I murmured softly.

"What? Why?" she asked befuddled.

I sighed and let my head drop back, hitting the wooden headboard with a thump.

"We can't...do, well, anything really. We may say we are in a relationship, but to the rest of the world, this is completely illegal." I sighed again and lifted my head to look at her. Moving a piece of hair away from her face, I continued. "I love you. I know this, and you know this. I love our baby. However...if this were to get out, I would be fired and maybe thrown into prison. You would either get a slap on the wrist, which I suspect will happen, or you would get kicked out, which I doubt. I'm sorry."

Rose bowed her head. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so forward."

I could feel her retreating into her shell, hiding away from me. "No, no, it's fine. Just...we need to be careful to keep this between us," I said quickly. "I can't afford to get taken away from you, especially now that Adrian is back in the picture. I need to know you're safe Roza; nothing less will cut it." I looked at her fiercely, trying to get her to understand how much I loved her.

I could almost hear the click in her mind when it finally set in.

"I love you, too, Comrade. I'll be careful." Rose kissed me on the nose, then clambered off my lap and grabbed my shirt, which she had thrown on the floor.

She toed off her sneakers, then dropped her pants. I looked away quickly.

"Roza, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Going to bed, why?" Was her casual reply.

"Oh," I muttered.

I felt the bed shift and chanced a glance at her only to see her in nothing but my shirt. I groaned out loud, letting my head hit the headboard again.

"Are you _trying _to torture me? Because if so, it's working."

Rose giggled. "Don't know what you're talking about, Comrade."

I sighed and gave her small glare. She laughed harder.

I heaved myself out of bed and took off my own pants. "Are you taking a shower?" I asked, looking at her.

Rose shook her head. "Nah. Unless you think I need one...?" She raised her eyebrows.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, you're fine."

I took a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom, coming back out about ten minutes later to find Rose holding one of my westerns in hand, a disgusted look on her face.

"How you can read these, I'll never be able to figure out." Rose shook her head and threw the book to the bedside table.

I climbed into bed next to her. "Want to watch a movie?" I offered.

Rose considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

I got out of bed again, wondering why I didn't just ask her first then get in bed. I pondered the movie options underneath the TV, finally settling on Alice in Wonderland. I'd heard it was a good movie, and since Johnny Depp was in it, it was almost guaranteed to be funny.

"How about this?" I showed her the case.

Rose nodded enthusiastically. I smiled and put the movie in, grabbing the controller before getting into bed again.

While I was fast forwarding through the credits, Rose snuggled up to me, laying her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her, resting my hand on her stomach. I felt a gentle nudge on my hand and smiled down at the baby.

"Little Ivan," I whispered.

I hear Rose sigh happily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that she had a huge smile on her face as she watched me.

The movie finally started and both of us focused on it. Occasionally, I would feel more kicks.

"I think he likes the movie," Rose said with amusement.

I nodded. "Seems like it."

About three-quarters through the movie, Rose went limp against me. I realised that she had fallen asleep. Quietly, I turned off the TV and shifted so that I could pulled her closer to me, wrapping both of my arms around her. I knew she would get uncomfortable halfway through the night if she slept on her back, so I carefully rolled her onto her side so that I was now spooning her, our legs tangled together. I sighed in contentment as I drifted off with the love of my life and my child safe in my arms.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well, that took a bit longer than I thought it would. It's 12:22 am as I'm finishing this up; show how much I love you guys(: First of all...what do you guys think? Dimitri almost committed treason by killing Adrian! Le gasp! Lol. Tell me your thoughts. Isn't the ending cute? xD**_

_**Second: A shout out to reviewers Do'B and anon JUSTICE. You guys left me the most wonderful reviews! I loved reading both of them! Thank you especially to Do'B, whose every review is long and wonderful! You two seriously made my week! **_

_**Third: Thank you to all of my other reviewers! You are nearly equally as awesome as the two above! Still awesome, though! Thank you soo much! **_

_**xoxoxoxoxox!**_

_**PS: Iti's 12:32 am as I'm posting this xD**_


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

The rest of our stay flew by. Rose mostly avoided Lissa and Adrian and, since I was with her every moment of every day (when I didn't have a shift), I avoided them too.

One day, after my shift, I decided to finally talk to Tasha. I had more or less been avoiding her, using Rose as an excuse, but I knew I had to face her sooner or later. Since Rose was safe with her mother, I figured I could pop in to see Tasha without Adrian threatening her.

I reached Tasha's room faster than I had anticipated. I simply stood there, staring at the door, for several minutes before I finally gathered the courage to knock on the door. Tasha immediately opened it.

"Dimka!" she exclaimed, her face brightening up. "What a surprise."

Something told me she had been waiting for me for a long time.

"May I come in?" I asked politely.

Tasha nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course. Make yourself at home." She opened the door wider, but only enough for me to squeeze through, causing my whole body to brush against hers. I tried to hide my shudder of disgust; she had really fallen low.

Tasha closed the door behind us and went to sit on the bed. I stayed standing.

"Well, sit down." she patted the seat next her.

I sighed and shook my head. "I can't stay for long; I need to get back to Roz-se," I said. I'd gotten so used to saying Roza that saying Rose felt funny.

Tasha's face darkened. "Of course you do," she muttered, scowling.

I sighed again. "Look, Tasha," I began, "you're one of my best friends. You have been for a really long time. I really appreciate the offer you gave me and, at any other time, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. But right now, Rose and Lissa need me. I'm sorry."

Tasha looked down, blinking rapidly. "You love her, don't you? You consider it your own child."

I swallowed. "Yes." I couldn't lie to her, not after saying no.

Tasha nodded, seemingly to herself. "Well, then, in that case, take care of her, Dimitri." She finally looked up at me, eyes shining with tears. "That girl's been through hell and back. Don't you ever leave her alone, you hear me?" She stood up and glared straight into my eyes fiercely.

I nodded. "I will take care of her and never leave her, don't worry," I vowed in a strong voice.

Tasha smiled sadly. "Good." She turned away. "You should go now, make sure she's alright."

I nodded again even though she couldn't see me. "We can still be friends, right Tasha?"

After a moment's silence, Tasha nodded her head. "Of course."

I left then, knowing she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts.

On the way to pick up Rose from her mother's room, I passed Lissa's room. I paused in the middle of the hallway and glanced at her door, pondering. After a moment of deliberation, I walked over and knocked on the door.

* * *

><p>LPOV:<p>

I looked up from my computer at a knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, I opened it to find Guardian Belikov on the other side.

"Guardian Belikov, what a pleasant surprise!" I said with shock.

Guardian Belikov simply nodded. "May I come in, Princess?" he asked formally.

I nodded and opened the door wide, stepping out of the way so he could walk in uninhibited. "What brings you here?" I questioned.

"Princess," he began in a hesitant voice, "I understand that you are great friends with Adrian Ivashkov, but he is different. He hurt Rose."

I snorted, cutting off his speech. "Not you too! I'm telling you, Adrian would never do that. Rose must be being compelled to think that. I've been hanging out with Adrian and he is completely normal. I saw his aura; he was telling the truth when he said he didn't hurt Rose. You can't hide that kind of thing from a spirit user," I told him earnestly. I wasn't mad at Rose; compulsion was a strong thing, and I was devising ways to break Rose of it.

Guardian Belikov opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off once more.

"I'm thinking about breaking the compulsion. Maybe if I use compulsion to make her tell the truth, it'll break," I mused out loud.

"What?!" Guardian Belikov spluttered, showing emotion on his face for the first time. "You want to use compulsion on your best friend?"

I felt myself blush. When he put it that way, it sound much worse than it was. "Well, no, it's not gonna be that bad. It's just to help identify-"

"No."

I looked at him in shock. I had never heard that tone of voice used on me. "Guardian Belikov-"

"You will not use compulsion on Rose, no matter the circumstances," he snapped.

I felt my brow furrow. What was going on with these two? They were always spending time together, cuddling, Rose talked to him like she would any friend...Were they together? I considered that for a moment, before deciding no. Guardian Belikov would never allow that, and Rose would have told me if they were together. She trusted me, and knew she wouldn't be able to keep something this big away from me.

"I won't use compulsion; I'm sorry. You're right, it's wrong." I felt guilt seep into me as I realised what I had been considering doing. What kind of friend was I?

"Princess...I was wondering if maybe you could wait to practice magic until after Rose had the baby," Guardian Belikov suddenly said.

"W-what?!" I cried out.

"It puts stress on you, which puts stress on Rose. She is always worried that you will do something to harm yourself because of the darker side to your magic, and she doesn't need any more stress at the moment." He sighed, sounding weary and, for the first time, I realised how tired he truly looked. I felt my concern spike.

"Don't worry about it Guardian Belikov. I'll be fine. Tell Rose not to worry about me; I can take care of myself. Or better yet, I'll tell her myself the next time I see her." I smiled, proud of myself. Rose would be fine, I will be able to practice my magic and hang out with Adrian and Christian. I would be careful while handling the darkness so Rose wouldn't have to worry. Now that I had Christian, there was no chance that I would cut myself. I relaxed.

"Is that all?" I asked.

Guardian Belikov looked frustrated. "Yes. That is all, Princess." He turned stiffly and walked abruptly out the door, shutting it with controlled anger. I frowned. _What was that about?_

* * *

><p>RPOV:<p>

Despite avoiding Lissa and Adrian, the rest of the vacation was fun. I spent a lot of time with Dimitri, getting to know him even more. It was like we were living in our own little world for those two weeks. _Too bad it was now coming to an end_, I thought as I climbed the plane to leave.

Settling down next to Dimitri, I groaned, stretching.

"How long is this gonna take?" I asked.

"Five hours or so," Dimitri replied.

The vacation had done us both good. We were much more relaxed, and Dimitri didn't seem to be hurting as much from Ivan's death. His face wasn't as shadowed any more; he smiled more easily. Although, after he talked to Lissa his mood had gone down drastically. I wasn't really concerned about it as I knew I would be able to tell what was happening to Lissa and what she was planning. I could tell that she genuinely didn't understand what was happening to me and thought Adrian was innocent. I decided to simply avoid being around Adrian and ask her to minimize using magic. I was confident and optimistic enough to believe she would.

* * *

><p>Once we arrived back, we were allowed a day to settle in. Dimitri and I took that day to move my stuff into his room. Alberta decided that I would be living with him for the duration of the year so that he could help me with the baby. It worked out beautifully. He was my birthing coach; had found an OBGYN for me, as she had little experience with the art of birthing. The doctor, which I had yet to meet, would be the one who would help me give birth and make sure there were no complications. After Dimitri and I had settled in, I would see her.

"You have a lot of stuff," Dimitri grumbled as he hauled yet another box to his room.

I chuckled. "Of course, I've lived here my whole life."

Dimitri sighed. "This is going to take forever; we might have to continue this over the weekend."

I pouted. "Can't we just do this tomorrow?" I whined.

"No, Rose," Dimitri said patiently. "You will need to go to school tomorrow. We'll get all the necessities today and the rest over the weekend."

Now that we were back at the Academy, some of the tension that had left him over vacation came back. He was now extra watchful and I knew that was because the rules were much more strict here. He couldn't just leave in the middle of a shift or even control his shifts; nor could he spend all day with me.

As he bent down to get another box, I ran my hand through his hair.

"Don't worry so much," I murmured. "It's not good for you."

Dimitri collapsed onto his knees and leaned his head onto my stomach. He wrapped his arms securely around my stomach and pressed his lips to my baby bump. "I love you," he mumbled.

I continued massaging his head, swaying slightly. "I know," I replied. "I love you too. But you need to take a couple deep breaths and calm down. Adrian can't do anything to me in public, and when I'm alone you'll be with me. I'll make sure I'm always with someone if you're not around. I won't do anything stupid. I promise."

Dimitri sighed and his shoulders slumped. He leaned more into me, but not enough that I was completely supporting his weight. He began mumbling incoherently to the baby in Russian, his lips moving against my shirt.

I giggled slightly, as it tickled. Dimitri smiled against my stomach before pressing one last kiss on it and standing up.

"I can't help but worry, Roza," he said softly, brushing hair out of my face. "What if something happens to you and I'm not there to stop it?"

I cupped his cheek. "Nothing will happen to me, don't worry," I assured him. "Don't think that way."

He sighed. "Okay, if you thinks so," he said doubtfully.

I grinned. "Of course I think so, silly."

He smiled finally. "Okay. Now, let's get everything moved." He grabbed the box again and carried it to his room.

After a day of moving, all I wanted was to collapse on his bed and sleep, but of course I couldn't do that.

_Rose, come watch, _Lissa sent through the bond. I gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Comrade, Lissa wants me to watch her practice magic," I informed him.

Dimitri frowned. "Can I come with you?" he asked, looking troubled.

I shook my head. "It'll look weird and Christian already suspects. He keeps giving me odd looks, and mentioned in passing how close we were, and if Chris knows so does Lissa, and so does Adrian, so it would be best if none of them know about us," I rationalized.

Dimitri huffed in annoyance. "Yes, but something can happen," he protested.

"Comrade, I think he's smart enough to not do anything around them. I'll be safe, don't worry so much."

Dimitri thought about it for a long moment, then sighed. "I'll walk you there."

I grinned and gave him a big hug. "Thanks, Comrade! And after, we can go meet our new doctor," I said enthusiastically.

Dimitri smiled. "I'll get you just before the appointment."

We made our way to the classroom Adrian and Lissa were using for practice. Once there, we saw Christian sprawled out on several desks, while Lissa and Adrian sat in two others, with dead plants in front of them.

"I thought you guys had graduated from dead plants," I commented, sitting a couple feet away from Christian - and conveniently an entire classroom away from Adrian.

"We're just refreshing," Lissa replied, watching Adrian heal the plant. "We didn't end up doing much practice at the lodge."

"Oh," I said dumbly. I glanced at the clock; I would have to stay here for about a half an hour before Dimitri comes and gets me. "I'm not gonna be here too long; I need to go to an ultrasound and meet my new doctor."

Lissa looked at me with surprise. "You're getting a new doctor?" she asked.

I nodded. "Mhm, she's an actual OB/GYN," I replied.

"Oh." Lissa stayed quiet for a moment. "Who is taking you?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying. "Um, Dimitri," I said tentatively.

Lissa frowned. "Why him?" she said sullenly.

I sighed. "Because he knows about pregnancies and he is helping me with it, not only to protect the child but also take care of it."

Lissa's frown deepened. "Oh," she muttered again.

"Mmhmm," I repeated.

"So, who's the father?" Adrian asked.

I froze, all breath knocked out of me as I remembered. It was one thing if a friend asked; it was a whole nother ball game when my rapist asked me. Suddenly, I was _pissed. _

"Gee, Adrian, I wonder," I spat. "Not you or anything. Oh, no, it can't be that you _forced _me, _bit _me, and then _laughed._Oh, no, nothing _crazy _like that!" I was screaming by the end of the speech. "It's not like you _got me pregnant, _causing me to put my whole _career and life _in jeopardy! You are such a spoiled, bratty, rich pretty boy; you think you can do anything and not get any consequences? Well, not everyone's life is as simple and easy as yours so, why don't you crawl back into the hole in which you were born, and _die!_**" **I spun around and walked out of the room; leaving two shocked faces, and one amused, behind me.

I speed walked back to our room, trying to calm down the entire time. I didn't want to go into early labor or have a miscarriage, once I was outside, I leaned against the building and closed my eyes. My mind almost automatically went into Lissa's mind.

She was trying to calm Adrian down, who looked near tears.

"It's okay, Adrian, she didn't mean any of it. It's just the pregnancy hormones," Lissa comforted him.

"Liss, babe, did it ever cross your mind that she was telling the truth?" Christian drawled from where he was still laying on the desks.

"Well, I'm sure she's just confused," Lissa rationed.

"I think I would know if I raped one of my best friends," Adrian snapped, glaring at Christian.

Christian sat up on the desks then hopped off. "Well I, for one, believe her. I think you were so drunk when you did it that you probably don't even remember it." He walked closer to Adrian with each word. "I think you know you did it, and you're just trying to deny it." He was now in Adrian's face, leaning over him. "And if I see you so much as come closer to her than she is comfortable, even by accident, I will light your ass on fire so fast, and you will burn so quick that not even Lissa can bring you back." He gave Adrian one last dark look before turning to Lissa. "Let's go." His tone left nothing to question and in Lissa's shock she immediately obeyed him.

I pulled myself out and stood once again. Walking slowly back to our room once more, I pondered what I had just seen. So Christian believed me. I frowned. It was really astonishing and really not at the same time; I was surprised that Chris believed me while Lissa did not, but at the same time, Lissa saw good in everyone and couldn't believe a friend would do such a thing while Chris had a much more cynical view of the world. I just hoped that Lissa believed him.

"Hey Rose." Mason seemed to appear out of thin air in front of me.

I jumped slightly. "Jeez, Mase!" I cried out. "You're gonna make me go into early labor!"

Mason paled. "Oh, my God, I am so sorry, I didn't mean it, please tell me you're fine!" Mason said really fast, his words almost jumbling together.

I laughed. "Calm down, I was being sarcastic," I told him.

Mason breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God!"

I chuckled. "So, what's up?" I looked at him inquisitively.

Mason shrugged. "Just felt like saying hi."

With a jolt, I realised that he was walking next to me and not a foot away.

"Mase," I said, my voice catching.

"Huh?" He looked at me, confused.

"You're close to me," I said in awe.

Mason's eyes widened and he leapt away, apologizing once more. I shook my head and waved him over.

"No, no, Mason, you misunderstood. I was perfectly fine with you being so close. That's what shocked me. Come back!" I called out to him.

He cautiously began getting closer to me again until he was as close as he was before. I squealed with joy. A slow smile spread across Mason's face.

"So, you're, like, over it?" he inquired.

I shrugged. "Come closer." I crooked a finger and moved, the universal sign for come here.

As if he was attached to my finger, Mason moved closer to me until he was just inches away. I got a little nervous, but it was as if sleeping with Dimitri and blowing up on Adrian had released the majority of my fears. I threw my arms around Mason happily. Caught up in the moments (or so I assumed), Mason picked me up and spun me around before setting me back down...and kissing me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well...BOOM! Bombshell, right? So what do you guys think of the chapter? Christian defended Rose, Dimitri finally turned Tasha down without her going homicidal, and Mason kissed Rose! Quite a few things happening here...tell me your thoughts!**_

_**Once again, a special thank you to Do'B and anon JUSTICE for their amazing reviews! You should all review like them!**_

_**Thanks to everyone else for your reviews! They make me smile so much and feel so loved! You're all amazing! Xoxoxox :* 3**_


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

Almost immediately, I pushed him back.

"What the hell!" I cried out. It was then that I noticed I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. I backed away, taking several deep breaths. _Don't have a panic attack, don't have a panic attack, _I chanted in my head.

"I'm sorry, Rose, I just thought, I mean, you, I mean, I thought you wanted to kiss me!" Mason spluttered out.

"No, Mason!" I snapped, still on edge. "Look, I know you like me, but I don't see you that way, okay? I see you as nothing more than a friend."

Mason looked like I had just stabbed him with a stake. "You...don't? But...I thought you did..."

I winced, wishing I could take back my harsh words. "No, Mase," I said softly, trying to soften the blow. "I don't. I never have. Maybe if this hadn't happened, we might have had something but..." I shrugged helplessly.

Mason nodded slowly. "So...well, I'm sorry I kissed you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said almost formally.

"Mason, can we still be friends? Please?" I pleaded.

Mason hesitated for a second before nodding. "Sure. Just...give me a bit, alright?"

I nodded. "Sure, take all the time you need." Jeez, hearts were breaking all over the place.

Mason turned around and walked away. I watched him for a moment, sighing. He was soon out of sight and I was left standing alone.

"Want to tell me what that was about?"

I jumped a mile as I realised that Dimitri was standing next to me. I spun around, frantically trying to figure out what he had seen.

"W-what are you talking about?" I exclaimed; my voice an octave higher.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, his guardian mask firmly in place. "The kiss."

I blinked, not expecting him to be so straightforward. Quickly I came to my senses. "It was nothing, I swear!" I cried out. "He kissed me but I pushed him away immediately and told him I didn't see him that way."

"Rose, calm down, I know you didn't kiss him. I'm sorry," Dimitri apologized when he realised how frantic I was.

It came to my attention that I was still shaking. Dimitri noticed this at the same time.

"Roza, what's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I-I wasn't prepared for him to come that close or do that," I said through a thick throat.

Dimitri glared in the direction Mason went. "He should have known better," he muttered. He took my hand and pulled me into his chest, holding me close.

Slowly, I calmed down in the comfort and safety of his arms.

"It's not his fault, Comrade," I murmured.

"I don't care, he shouldn't have done that. You didn't ask him to kiss you." Dimitri took several deep breaths,trying to calm down.

"Let's go," he said, pulling away. "I was actually looking for you to go to the doctor's appointment."

I nodded. "I figured."

As we walked to the infirmary, I told Dimitri about my blow up on Adrian, and Christian's subsequent speech.

Dimitri nodded with satisfaction. "Good. I'm glad you told him and that Christian's on your side. I hope Lissa stays away from him."

I sighed. "Somehow I doubt it. She still thinks he's innocent, but I think she's going to minimize the time she spends with him. I mean, Christian was pretty mad." I sighed again; I hoped this wouldn't drive a wedge between them, or break them up. I'd kill Adrian if that happened.

Our conversation came to an abrupt halt as we reached the infirmary. My earlier brooding was replaced with excitement at seeing my baby again.

After Dimitri talked to the nurse briefly, she led us to a room in the back. Instead of the usual hospital bed, the room was decked out like what I imagined a maternity ward looked like. The bed was subtly different and had stirrups. The ultrasound machine was also there, along with the bassinet where the baby would go after it was born. There was only a couple other machines, the use of which I wasn't sure of, along with several chairs. As soon as I'd scoped out the room, I plopped myself on the bed. Dimitri settled himself in the chair next to me.

Shortly after, the doctor came in. She was young and very pretty. Her golden brown hair was put in a careful bun, and her makeup made her sapphire blue eyes pop. She was about 5'10, an average height for Moroi. Her face was soft, and looked innocent yet wise at the same time. She was also surprisingly curvy for a Moroi, and the overall effect of her beauty and the aura surrounding her was almost mesmerizing. Or so it appeared, as Dimitri couldn't take his eyes off of her.

I elbowed him hard in the ribs. Dimitri let out a little 'oof' as the breath was knocked out of him. He gave me a dirty look, before realising what he'd been doing. He replaced the dirty look with a sheepish one.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

I rolled my eyes and tried not to let it get to me.

The doctor looked up from the clipboard, which she had been perusing the entire time. She smiled at me warmly, enhancing her gorgeous appearance. I tried not to let that get to me too.

"You must be Rose," the doctor said, her voice sounding like wind chimes. I felt a scowl make its way across my face; this woman was making it very difficult for me not to hate her.

"Yes," I said stiffly, controlling my anger.

She looked inquiringly at Dimitri. "And you are...?"

"Dimitri Belikov," he replied, his voice smooth.

_He loves you,_I reminded myself, swallowing uneasily. _Some pretty face doctor isn't going to steal him away. _

"You will be her birthing coach, correct?" I realised she had a soft accent, a British one. I felt my scowl deepen. _Was nothing wrong with her? _

"Yes, ma'am," Dimitri said promptly.

"And you are?" I interrupted rudely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Dr. Theresa Bryar. But you can call me Tessa." She smiled warmly at both of us, although her smile widened when she looked at Dimitri.

I felt a possessive growl form in the back of my throat. _He's mine, bitch, _I snarled in my mind, glaring at her.

Dimitri seemed to come to his senses and pulled away from her charm. He straightened up in his chair and leaned slightly towards me. I allowed myself to relax.

"Alright, so you are twenty weeks along, I see," Tessa said, looking down at her clipboard again.

"Mmhmm," I said absentmindedly.

"I'll be helping you for the remainder of your pregnancy..." I tuned out as she continued speaking, figuring Dimitri would just let me later what it was that she was saying.

I thought what to name the baby if it was a girl. We'd already decided to name it Ivan if it was a boy, but a girl? I sighed. So many choices. Maybe Alyssa, I considered. In honor of my best friend, even if she wasn't being such a great friend. I decided to move on form names and to the future. Where would he or she stay? Where would I stay for that matter? I knew that once we graduated, I would move in with Lissa, but maybe I was going to move in with Dimitri? After all, we _were _together, and he was the father...

"Rose? Could you pull up your shirt?" Tessa's voice jarred me out of my thoughts.

"What? Oh, okay." I pulled my shirt up over my baby bump.

"It's going to be cold," Tessa warned.

I nodded. Wouldn't be the first time I felt it. Discreetly, Dimitri took my hand.

"And...there is your baby." Tessa pointed at the screen.

No matter how many times I see it, I was still filled with wonder. The little baby lay curled up in my womb, a miracle out of something horrible. My smile was so wide it hurt my face and tears formed in my eyes.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. I glanced at Dimitri at the same time as he looked at me. We shared a happy smile before turning back to the screen.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Tessa asked as she moved the wand around.

I looked inquiringly at Dimitri. It was really up to him, now. It didn't matter to me either way, and even though we had decided on it being a surprise, it might have changed.

Dimitri looked back at me, and with one look, we had a whole conversation.

"Why not," he replied, still looking at me.

"Alright, it is a...boy!" Tessa exclaimed after a moment of moving the wand. "You can see right here." She pointed at the screen.

I giggled. "His little penis," I finished for her.

Tessa smiled benignly at me. "Yes, it is."

"Look, Comrade," I giggled again. "His little penis." For some reason, I found this greatly amusing and began laughing hysterically.

Dimitri sighed next to me, shaking his head. His eyes, however, were bright with amusement. "Oh, Roza," he rumbled. "What am I going to do with you?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I know, short chapter. But I wanted to get it out to you guys before too long. I doubt I will be updating this for the rest of the month because I am doing NaNoWriMo, which means I need to write a 30,000-50,000 words novel in the next month. Wish me luck! **_


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

Despite the fact that at the end of the appointment I had shared a cute moment with Dimitri, I still gave him the cold shoulder, letting him know I was not at all please with the fact that he's been checking out the doctor. At first, he hadn't realised why I was mad, or that I was even mad in the first place, but after five straight minutes of him talking and me ignoring everything he said, he'd caught on. It wasn't until I had practically caught a tree on fire from my glare at the mention of the new doctor that it finally occurred to him that I was upset about it. Now he was practically on his knees apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Roza," he pleaded. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean." I didn't say anything. "Roza, I'm sorry. She just caught me off-guard." Silence. "You're still the most beautiful girl in the universe. I'm sorry. I love you. I wasn't staring because she was beautiful, I was actually staring because, um, she was so ugly, Yeah! She caught me off-guard because she was so ugly."

I couldn't help but snort at that, breaking my no speaking rule. Dimitri seemed to take that as encouragement.

"Exactly! She was really ugly. Her hair? Simply atrocious. And that lab coat? Made her look so bulky and ugly. And her face? I'd rather stare at Ralf Sarcozy all day," Dimitri continued.

I giggled helplessly. "Nice save there, Comrade," I attempted to say dryly, but my laughter make it come out bubbly and amused.

Dimitri looked relieved as we stopped at his - our now - room. "In all seriousness, I'm really, truly sorry Roza. It will never happened again."

I smiled softly. "I believe you," I replied.

"Good. Now, I have this weird feeling that my son and his mother are hungry," Dimitri stated.

Right on cue, my stomach growled. I giggled again. "Right you are, Comrade," I said lightly.

Dimitri chuckled and lead me to the cafeteria. On the way there, We came across a girl I'd never seen. She was drop dead gorgeous, tall like all Moroi but with curves that any Moroi would kill for. Her long brown hair had an artful, just had sex look to it. However, she look at me with cold blue-gray eyes, sending a foreboding chill down my spine.

"Hi," she said, sticking out her hand. I shook it as she continued. "I'm Avery Lazar. Do you by any chance know where I could find Adrian Ivashkov?"

I froze, my hand instinctively going protectively to my stomach. Her cold eyes followed it critically.

"Oh. You must be Rose Hathaway." Avery smirked.

I blinked back tears at the condescension and slightly disgusted tone in this stranger's voice. I could almost hear her finishing the sentence in her head with 'the blood whore.' It surprisingly hurt to hear such judgment in the voice of someone I have never met. I bowed my head, feeling irrationally ashamed.

"You would find him the guest rooms," Dimitri replied evenly. His hand twitched by his side and I knew he wanted to wrap it around me in comfort but couldn't since we were in public.

"Why thank you, handsome," Avery replied in a flirty tone.

I looked up finally, giving her a dark look. Avery simply smirked back at me coldly, then flounced off in the direction of the guest rooms.

As soon as she was out of sight, Dimitri spun around to face me, putting his hands gently on either side of my face. "Don't listen to her, alright?" he told me. "She's just a spoiled royal brat; she has no idea what you went through."

I nodded unconvincingly.

Dimitri sighed. "Someday you will see exactly how strong and beautiful and amazing you really are," he mumbled before straightening up. "On to food!"

I gave a halfhearted smile and followed him to dinner.

After both of us got trays of food, we claimed an empty table in the back.

Halfway through a silent dinner, Lissa's thoughts burst in my head.

_Adrian rape Rose? What are the two of them on? He wouldn't look twice at her! He is so in love with Avery! _

Her words made me choke on my pizza.

"Roza, are you okay?" Dimitri asked frantically, patting my back.

I nodded, trying to breath. "Sorry, just...Lissa surprised me is all," I wheezed out.

I refused to say any more, despite Dimitri's insistence, instead returning to my food.

* * *

><p>Going back to class was slightly disorienting. I'd gotten so used to hanging out with Dimitri all day and not doing anything that sitting in a classroom surrounded by other people was a shock to my senses.<p>

It seemed as though the time away from school had put everyone in really good spirits. No one was saying anything degrading or vicious to me; in fact, most people who talked to me asked nice questions, such as how the baby was doing, what sex it was, and what I was planning on naming him. The girls in particular would gush over how happy and glowing I looked, and that my baby was going to be sooo adorable, and could they please see him once he's born?

I found myself relaxing my guard after several days on this. Lissa and I had started talking more too, as well as Christian and I. Things were looking up for me. Over the weekend Dimitri fully moved me into his room. Adrian didn't bother me; in fact, I almost never saw him, but when I did, Avery was attached to him. I didn't heed them any attention, and that proved to be my downfall.

That Sunday, Avery decided to throw a mini-party. It was being held in Adrian's room, and several people including Lissa, Eddie, Mason, and Christian were invited. Mia had gone to stay with her dad at Court for a couple weeks because her mother had been killed in an attack over break, but she was due to come back at the start of February.

Lissa asked me if I could come to it, but since there was alcohol and Adrian there, I said no. Besides, Dimitri wouldn't have let me go regardless.

I kept an eye on Lissa through the bond, however. It seemed as though the entire senior class and half of the junior class were there. Lissa was getting a bit tipsy, and saying things she really shouldn't have.

She was talking to Jesse Zeklos, gossip extraordinaire. "Yeah, Rose was drank from when she had sex and got pregnant," Lissa slurred.

Jesse looked at her with interest. "Oh really? Is it true that she also fed you when you guys were on the run?" he asked, his voice husky.

Lissa nodded and finished her beer. "Mmhmm. I think that's why she didn't say anything about pain when she finally told me about it. She probably enjoyed it, being bitten."

Jesse's eyes gleamed, but before he could say anything, I was pushed out.

I sat in my body, confused. What had pushed me out? Was it the fact that Lissa drank too much? Lissa's name reminded me of what she had said. I felt a sharp pain begin in my heart and spread to my lungs. Suddenly, it was difficult to breath.

"Roza?" Dimitri asked, putting his book down. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

The pain finally formed itself into tears. Distantly, my mind was disgusted by how easily I cried. It seemed as though not a day went by without something setting me off.

"L-Lissa is d-drunk and was saying really mean things about me," I sobbed out.

Dimitri wrapped his arms around me. "Like what?" he inquired.

"She pretty much told Jesse Zeklos that I was a blood whore."

Dimitri tensed. I think he expecting me to say something like, 'she complained too much,' not something serious like this.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it," Dimitri soothed.

"Who cares if she meant it? She told Jesse, which means everyone will go back to calling me a blood whore by the end of the day!" I wailed.

Dimitri had no response for this, except to continue to comfort me.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, it was worse than I had thought.<p>

Everyone was now laughing openly at me, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the fact that when I approached Lissa, she had simply turned her back on me.

"I can't be seen with someone like you, Rose. I'm a Princess; I need to keep my image. It'll blow over. Until then, please leave me alone," she's said coolly, looking down at me.

I didn't understand what had happened between Friday and Monday, but she was no longer my Lissa. And I was afraid.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week passed by in the same manner. It seemed as if any friend I had turned their back on me, even Mason. For the first time in my life, I had no one.<p>

* * *

><p>Field experience had officially started, but since I was pregnant, I couldn't participate. Dimitri had to, though. So I was stuck going to class and watching my classmates fight guardians, while I did nothing.<p>

It seemed that fate had it out for me, however.

Two weeks into the field experience, I was walking down the hall when a fight broke out. I somehow ended up in the middle, with a Moroi cowering behind me. The guardian acting as Strigoi must have assumed I was the other 'guardian' and attacked. I had never in my life been so afraid, because for the first time ever, it was not only me I had to protect, but also my baby. It was as if the guardian was being controlled; I couldn't run away or cower away, I had to fight because he or she kept coming at me. I used every skill I had at my disposal to defend against the attacker. I was so terrified, I almost could breath, couldn't think. It all instinct. My heart was pounding so loud, I could hear nothing but my own breathing.

And then it ended.

I heard shouting, and someone pushed my attacker away from me. Then I was in someone's arms, and their sweet voice was babbling away in Russian in my ear.

In the span of about five minutes, I went from fighting to lying on a bed in the infirmary with an anxious Dimitri clutching my hand.

It was very lucky that Dr. Bryar had a basic understanding of Russian because Dimitri seemed to have forgotten what English was.

"Guardian Belikov, I need you to calm down. There doesn't seem to be anything majorly wrong with Rose. I see no blood or any other indication that she is going into labor or had a miscarriage."

Of course, the fact that there was even a possibility of it sent Dimitri into a frenzy.

Me? I was simply shell shocked.

Dimitri finally remembered how to speak in English. "What's wrong with her, doctor? Why is she just staring blankly at the wall? Why is she not saying anything? Why is she so quiet? Did she get hit in the head? does she have a concussion? Does she-"

Unfortunately he remembered how to speak English. His frantic babbling seemed to break the ice in my mind.

"Shut up, Dimitri!" I cried out, turning to glare at him. "You're freaking out worse than I am, and I'm the one who almost lost the baby!"

Dimitri snapped his mouth shut, looking pale and almost haunted.

I looked away to face the doctor. "Is there anything wrong?"

"There doesn't seem to be anything majorly wrong, no. Could you lift up your shirt?" Dr. Bryar's voice was surprisingly soothing.

I took a calming breath and lifted my shirt. She put the gel on my stomach, then moved the wand over it. An image of the baby popped onto the screen.

"Okay, it looks as if that just shook him up, but he is fine. You did a wonderful job protecting your child," Dr. Bryar complemented.

"Thanks," I muttered. I exhaled slowly. I was relieved that nothing was wrong. I felt the edges of hysteria, but after assessing myself, I decided that the tears would be unnecessary.

"You seem to be perfectly fine, just a bit shell shocked. I would like to keep you here overnight, but if you promise to stay in bed for the rest of the day, I'll let you go," Dr. Bryar continued.

I thought about it for a brief moment. "I'll stay in bed so long as it's my own," I replied.

Dr. Bryar nodded. "That's what I thought. Okay, here's a paper towel, and you can leave whenever you want." She left the room after turning off the machines.

I wiped the gunk off my stomach before finally turning to Dimitri. He was still staring blankly at the wall.

"Comrade," I began softly, putting my hand on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. You were just being hysterical and I needed you to stop before you freaked me out too. I'm sorry."

Dimitri slowly turned to me. "That's not the problem Rose," he said in a tightly controlled voice.

I was taken aback. "Then what is?"

"I wasn't there, Rose. You could have had a miscarriage right there on the floor and I wouldn't have been there. I wasn't there to stop it." He took a slow breath. "Let's go."

He helped me off the bed, then turned away abruptly.

I followed him all the way to his room. Once there, he made sure I was in bed before leaving. I wanted to follow to make sure he was alright, but the doctor's words rang in my head, reminding me I was on bed rest. And for the first time in my short life, I listened to the doctor and stay in bed.

* * *

><p>DPOV:<p>

I hurried to the gym. Once there, I took out everything on the dummy someone had left out. I let out all of my anger and sadness and shame until the dummy was unrecognizable. I collapsed against the wall, breathing hard. I had failed to keep Rose safe. Not only Rose but my son too. What kind of father was I, when I couldn't even take care of my son, make sure his mother safe, before he was even born?

I kept the tears at bay. Suddenly, I needed to be with Rose, to have her in my arms, safe and happy. I sprang up and ran all the way to my room, keeping to the shadows to avoid suspicion.

I paused outside my room to take several deep breaths and to make a phone call. After I arranged for someone else to take over my shifts for the day, I unlocked my door and stepped in quietly.

I took off my duster and boots, then crept to the bed where Rose lay asleep. I glanced at the clock, surprised that I had been gone for over an hour. I maneuvered myself into bed behind Rose.

She stirred in her sleep, cuddling closer to me. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Comrade?" she mumbled, her voice sleepy.

I hummed. "Go back to sleep Roza. Everything is alright."

"Okay," she mumbled back, already halfway to dreamland.

If I had any idea how wrong I was, I would've grabbed her up and ran away to Russia. However, I didn't know, so I simply watched her sleep.

* * *

><p>The next day, I awoke to the ringing of my phone. I groaned and buried my face deeper into Rose's soft hair. The phone persisted.<p>

Rose moaned. "Comrade, get that," she whined.

I groaned again but fumbled on my bedside table for my phone.

"Belikov," I answered, trying to keep the sleepiness out of my voice.

"Dimitri, I need to speak with you immediately." Alberta's voice on the other end sounded deadly serious.

Suddenly, I was wide awake. I sat up. "I'll be right there, Guardian Petrov," I replied, already getting up,

"Hurry up." _Click. _

"Huh? What;s going on?" Rose sat up sleepily, her hair everywhere. I couldn't help but chuckled.

"Alberta needs to talk to me," I replied, pulling my boots on.

"Oh," Rose said blearily, falling back against the pillows. She sat back up almost instantly. "What's wrong with your hands?"

I looked down, surprised. My hands had little cuts all over them, dried blood caked everywhere.

"Oh," I mumbled. "That's from, um, last night." I laughed nervously. "There's a dead dummy in the gym."

Rose huffed in annoyance and stood up. "Let's go."

I followed her obediently to the bathroom where she cleaned up my hands and wrapped them.

She kissed both of my hands. "Now you may go."

I smiled down at her. No matter how bleak things appeared, she could always make me smile.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Rose rubbed her cheek.

I chuckled. "Yes, you do."

"What? Where?" She began rubbing her nose vigorously.

I pulled her hand away from her face. "You have two eyes," I kissed her eyelids. "A nose," I kissed the tip of it. "Two cheeks," I kissed both of them. "And a pair of cute lips." I kissed her softly on the lips, but Rose being Rose, she deepened it. Our lips moved in synchronization for several long moments before I found the will to pull away. "I have to go," I whispered, leaning my forehead against hers. "But I'll be back as soon as I can. You better get dressed - no, on second thought, stay in bed, I want to make sure you're 100% fine."

Rose sighed, but nodded. "Alright."

I pecked her one last time on the lips, then walked out.

On the way to Alberta's office, I quickly used the bathroom.

When I finally reached her office, I was late by at least ten minutes. Oops.

"Rose is rubbing off on you, Belikov," Alberta said drily as I sat in the chair across from her.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I thought of Rose. "She tends to do that," I said lightly.

Alberta's face turned serious. "I understand that yesterday a horrendous even occurred," she began gravely. "But it has been brought to my attention that your relationship with Rose is more than that of a mentor with his students. Now, that is clear, seeing as you are her birthing coach and are taking care of her for the duration of the year. But it has been said that your relationship is more than even friendship."

I opened my mouth to protest but Alberta raised her hand. "Personally, I don't care what you have as long as Rose is safe and happy. Unfortunately, I can't turn a blind eye to it when someone else notices, which they have." Alberta gave me an apologetic look.

I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me. "What-what are you saying?" I asked, praying it wasn't what I thought she meant.

"I'm going to have to separate you two, at least in the eyes of the students," Alberta sighed heavily.

I was stunned. For a few moments, I couldn't think, but then my brain jumped into action. How to get out of this?

"Could we move to Tasha's cabin?" I asked suddenly.

Alberta looked at me in shock. "Why so far away?"

"Because that way no one can bother her. No one ever goes there. We could keep everything in my room and make it seem as if she moved back to her room and I stayed in mine, but in reality, we could just stay in the cabin. That way it would be easier for me to take her to the infirmary in case of her going into labor; no stairs to deal with." I took a deep breath, hoping.

Alberta thought about it for a few moments, then nodded "I'm going to have to ask you to move her back to her room for a couple of days, then over the weekend you can move to the cabin, alright?"

I sighed with relief. "Yes, that's fine."

Alberta sighed wearily. "I'm really sorry I have to do this Belikov."

I nodded. "I understand. I just hope Rose does too."

Alberta chuckled, standing up. "Good luck to you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well, that lasted long! I couldn't keep away. You're welcome! lol. So, lots going on in this chapter! Tell me what you think! Sorry about the ending being a bit rushed. I had a different ending, but I forgot some dialog, so this is what you get lol :P**_

_** I feel a bit unloved...last chapter didn't really get that many reviews :( Maybe more for this chapter so that I have encouragement to write my NaNo novel and be able to update this soon? puppy dog eyes* Thank you to everyone who did review! You are the bestest! Especially Do'B! Mwaha! I wish I could give you a hug! Xoxoxo **_


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

Just as I expected, Rose threw a fit when she heard that she had to move out of my room. With her anger, though, I could see fear. She didn't want to be left alone. I assured her that I would be on guard in her dorm the entire time that she was by herself, making sure no one could get through, and that during class I would move us into the cabin. However, it seemed as though nothing I said made it better. We were being separated, and that was all she could focus on.

I helped her move back into her room, keeping a stony look on my face the entire time. Students would pause and gawk at us.

"What, never seen a girl before?" Rose snapped at them.

I could tell the stares and whispers were getting to her. She looked near tears the entire time.

She held it in, however, until Lissa stopped during our very last trip.

Lissa frowned as she watched us walk by. "Rose, I can't believe you would do that," she said, her voice clear for everyone to here. By her side, Avery smirked.

"Do what?" Rose snapped.

"Try to seduce a guardian. I thought you were better than that." Lissa voice was disappointed and condescending.

"I didn't-"

"Not to mention try to blame my boyfriend for that abomination sticking out of you," Avery sneered.

Lissa's frowned deepened and she turned to Avery. "That wasn't -" she broke off, starting at Avery for a full minute before turning back to Rose. I was startled to see the same dark glint in her eye as I'd previously seen in Adrian's. What was going on? Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"She has a point, Rose. I still don't understand why you would blame Adrian. Why don't you just admit it finally, and tell the truth. You got drunk, invited some guy back to your room, had sex with him, then found out you were pregnant. Then you decided to cry rape." Lissa shook her head with mock sadness. "I can't have a future guardian who demands so much attention. Good thing I have Guardian Belikov, huh?" With one last chilling look, Lissa spun primly on her heel and walked away, her arm linking with Avery's.

Rose simply stared after them, speechless. Then the whispers started, and I took that as my cue to take Rose away.

* * *

><p>RPOV:<p>

I simply sat on my bed once we reached my room. Distantly, I heard Dimitri talking, but it came out muffled, as if he had something over his mouth. I couldn't focus on anything but Lissa's cruel words. I knew it wasn't her. At least, I didn't think it was her. It was Avery. Something with Avery. Why she hated me, I didn't know. What did know was that she was slowly but surely destroying my life. Recently, I had found that the bond was being blocked by something. I could still get an inkling of Lissa's feelings, but I couldn't get into her head. Lissa also began partying much more; that increased my worry by tenfold. Maybe Avery was pissed because Adrian had gotten me pregnant? Maybe she was trying to make me lose the baby. _She's doing a fine job of it, _I thought bitterly._At this rate, I would have a miscarriage within the week. _

The idea of a miscarriage made me breathless with terror. What if she managed it? What if with all my worry and fretting I had one?

"Dimitri!" I cried out, needing his arms around me to hold me together.

"Roza," he exhaled. "Are you al-"

I cut him off, throwing my arms around him. He understood my unspoken request and simply held me, not speaking.

We sat wrapped in each others arms for a good ten minutes before I felt alright again.

"Roza-" Dimitri began again, but I shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it. Dimitri sighed.

"What will we do?" I asked, my voice small.

"It'll be alright, Roza. I'll keep watch, and then we can move into the cabin later this week. This is simply for appearances, okay?" Dimitri kissed the top of my head.

"But with field experience-"

"It'll be fine," Dimitri interrupted me. "Alberta and a select few other guardians will be watching to make sure something like what happened the other day won't happen again."

I swallowed, then nodded. "If you say so," I said softly.

Dimitri smiled. "I do. And you know me, I'm always right."

I gave him a halfhearted smile. "You need to go back," I whispered.

Dimitri nodded sadly. "Lock your door. I'm going to change your lock, then you and I will have the only keys, okay? Not even the master key will open it."

I sighed and nodded once more. "Thank you," I murmured, stretching my neck to kiss him on the lips.

Dimitri kissed me back before pulling away. "Be safe, my Roza." He lowered himself to my stomach and murmured something in Russian, then placed a kiss on it before standing up. "I'll see you later."

"Love you," I said.

Dimitri looked over his shoulder at me with a smile. "I love you too, milaya."

* * *

><p>From that point, my week went from bad to worse. After Lissa's very public humiliation of me, people who had never said a word against me began openly mocking me. I was called horrid names, and not a single teacher spoke against them. They simply ignored everything, carrying on teaching.<p>

I would have skipped the whole week, but I was afraid of being alone. At least in class, Dimitri's comforting presence was there. In my room, there was no one but me.

Lissa never left Avery's side, which made me wonder, where was Christian? That question was answered during lunch. He had somehow become best friends with Adrian Ivashkov, his previously worst enemy. I was officially 100% alone. And that's when Avery made her move.

_You should just die. _The thought came out of nowhere, at least nowhere in my mind, a few days after I had moved back into my room. I paused in doing my homework, frowning. _Just kill yourself,_the voice continued. With a start, I realised that it was coming from the bond. Lissa wanted me to die.

_Do it. Just jump out the window. Make it easier on everyone. _My feet began moving of their own accord to the window. I stopped my movement. _What was I doing?!_

_Finding peace, _the voice replied. I froze. This wasn't Lissa. Lissa couldn't get into my mind. My feet began moving again.

_What? No, no, no!_I began breathing hard, out of control.

"Dimitri!" I cried out. "Dimitri!"

I heard the pounding of feet as I neared the window. My hands began opening it.

"Roza! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Dimitri called through the door. I could hear the jingle of his keys as he began unlocking it.

"No!" I screamed back, my breathing ragged. "Help!"

The window was open now, as was the door.

"Roza! What are you doing!" he cried out, striding towards me.

But the faster he came, the faster I moved. Both legs were swung out of the window when he grabbed me, just in time.

He pulled me back into the safety of my room and the voice disappeared with one last message.

_Your luck won't last forever._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: It's Thanksgiving, so I felt like thanking all of my readers for their continued support and give you a chapter(: It's a bit short, but, well, good? What do you think? Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! Don't eat too much turkey (if such a thing is possible) and have a great day! **_

_**Thank you all for your reviews, especially Do'B! You make my day! Thank you also to **__**hollsbolls123**__**, Guest, **__** and TheBookShelf for your wonderfully long reviews. You all make me smile :D **_

_**Thank you for the 27 reviews you all gave me for the last chapter, too! And thank you for giving me almost 400 reviews on the story! Let's see if we can get 30...maybe? For Thanksgiving? :D **_

_**xoxoxoxo **_

_**-Tatiana**_


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

"It was like...something or _someone _took over my mind," I whispered, shuddering.

Dimitri and Alberta peered down at me with concern. We were currently sitting in Alberta's office. Outside, the sun shone bright, indicating how late it was.

Alberta gave Dimitri a meaningful look. He sighed in defeat.

**"**What?" I asked.

**"**Rose..." Alberta trailed off, looking uncomfortable. She sighed. "We really should have done this the minute you came into the school." She shook her head.

**"**What? Done what? Dimitri?" I looked at him questioningly.

He simply looked away guiltily.

**"**Counseling," Alberta finally said.

**"**I-what?" I gave her a look that clearly said, _Are you facking insane?_

Alberta sighed again. "It's clear that all the pressure is getting to you, Rose. We're not blaming you, believe us. We just think it would be best if you talked to a counselor. With everything going on, it's no wonder that you're-" Alberta cut herself off.

**"**Driving myself insane?" I supplied, glaring.

**"**No, Rose. I just - please, do this," Dimitri said, begging me with his eyes. "You scared me, Roza. If counseling is what it take for me to never see you attempt suicide again, then so be it."

I stared at him with pain. He didn't believe me. "Dimitri, it wasn't me," I insisted.

He hesitated. "I believe you," he finally said. I could tell he was being honest. "But I would rather have you in counseling and safe than dealing with the...other students." A distasteful look appeared on his face and the truth behind why he really wanted me in counseling was revealed.

He knew that I wouldn't talk and be belligerent about it. He didn't care about that. He just wanted me to be away from all the words and safe in an adult's office. He was afraid for me.

My face softened as I realised all of this. I sighed. "Alright. How often and how long?" I inquired.

"Every day and instead of your field experience," Alberta said promptly.

I sighed. "And I also want you to move back in with Dimitri, in the cabin," Alberta tacked on.

I grinned. At least one good thing came out of all of this. "When am I moving?"

"Right now," Dimitri said. "In fact, you can have the day off tomorrow, since you'll be tired."

I sighed again, but nodded. "And the appointment?" It was hard to believe only two weeks had passed since the last baby appointment.

"We're going to it, of course." Dimitri smiled at me, his eyes bright.

I exhaled with relief. "Well, that's not so bad, then," I mused, standing up.

"I mean it, Rose.," Alberta warned. "You better show up to every single one of those meetings."

I sighed with exasperation. "Like Dimitri would let me ditch them," I said ruefully.

"Good," Alberta nodded.

Moving back in with Dimitri was a cakewalk. All that was really need was my toiletries and pjs, although I would end up wearing Dimitri's shirt to bed anyway.

I collapsed on the bed with a huge sigh.

"Roza..." Dimitri carefully lay down next to me, nudging me farther towards the wall. "Was it Avery?"

I had been too hysterical to really tell him what had happened when he pulled me away from the window, and he had hurried me away to Alberta's office once I had calmed down. There, I had only told them it was a voice which told me to jump, not who the voice was or where it came from.

"It came from the bond," I replied, not taking my gaze off the ceiling. "It wasn't Lissa though. It...could hear me. Lissa can't hear me."

_Rose, be careful!_

Lissa's voice suddenly burst into my mind, causing me to sit up. "Lissa?" I asked, glancing around before realising it came from the bond.

"Roza?"

I put a hand up, signal my need for quiet. I frowned, trying to focus on the bond, but it was like trying to listen to a radio with bad reception.

_Careful...Avery! Stop! _

Then all sound was cut off.

My worries shot up. "Dimitri, it's Avery," I said frantically.

"What do you mean? What just happened?" Dimitri asked quickly.

"I mean Avery is controlling Lissa. Liss just told me to be careful, and then it was like a bad radio reception, then I heard 'Avery! Stop!'" I fired off rapidly.

Dimitri let out a long breath and buried his face in his hands. "Do you want me to go check on the princess?" he asked wearily.

I hesitated, trying gauge her feelings. They were those of irritation and frustration, but not hurt or fear. "No, she seems alright, and you checking up on her would only raise suspicion." I sighed. I was doing that alot today, I thought absentmindedly. "Why must everything be so complicated?" I groaned out.

"Because you're you and nothing is simple in your life," Dimitri replied fondly.

I gave him a wan smile. "Thanks Comrade. Glad to know you're always there for me."

Dimitri chuckled. "That I am." Then he sobered up. "Rose, what if she manages to really hurt you next time?"

I looked into his deep brown eyes, twin pools of love and fear for me. I put my hand on his cheek. "I'll fight it. I'll be much more prepared for it next time. She just caught me off-guard."

Dimitri scowled. "That doesn't make me feel better. What if next time you're asleep? All of your defenses will be down then."

"You'll be there then," I replied, smiling.

"That's true," he mused, playing with a strand of my hair. Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed me.

My lips automatically moved with his, no thought on my part needed. I allowed my mind to completely shut down, focusing only on his lips and the way he made me feel.

"I love you," he said breathlessly once we finally broke apart.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

* * *

><p>The next day, I sat in Deirdre's, my counselor, office.<p>

"Why do you think you tried to commit suicide?" she asked.

I sighed. "I didn't. I was forced to. And just for the record, the only reason why I'm here is because Dimitri is forcing me to go. That doesn't mean I have to answer any of your questions," I snapped back.

"You must be very close to Guardian Belikov to listen to him so well," she observed.

I nodded. "He's the only one I have left. He's the only one who has been there for me through everything," I said honestly.

"The only one? Are you sure about that?" she questioned.

I nodded again. "Of course. I mean, look at now. Lissa is no longer my friend, my two best guy friends are avoiding me to keep their reputation, and the only other person I could possibly count on is best friends with the guy that raped me. Yeah, I only have Dimitri left. Maybe Alberta too," I added grudgingly.

"Is the fact that you feel alone the reason you tried to commit suicide?"

I let out a frustrated groan. "No. It has nothing to do with that. I was, like, compelled to jump out the window. Compelled as in magically, not by my depressing thoughts."

"Do you have depressing thoughts?"

I growled.

* * *

><p>Deirdre had a tendency to answer all of my questions with her own questions, a very frustrating tactic that got us nowhere.<p>

After about a week of counseling, I considered calling it quits and dealing with the consequences. However, when I asked Alberta if I could, she replied with a resounding, "NO!"

It was during one of these sessions, about a week and a half in, that it happened.

Deirdre was being her annoying self when I heard Lissa's voice.

_No. No! NO! Help! Rose! Please!_

My eyes widened. "Lissa!" I gasped out.

"What?" Deirdre looked at me, startled.

"Lissa! Lissa is in trouble!" I cried out, standing up.

"Rose, just calm down," Deirdre said.

"No, you don't understand! I need to help her!" Terrified feelings were coming through the bond. Again, I heard that voice. _Jump. Just jump. _This time, however, it wasn't pointed at me.

"Rose, sit down," Deirdre commanded.

I shook my head and tried to open the door, forgetting that it was kept lock during the sessions.

I began pounding on the door. "Let me out!" I screamed. "I need to get to Lissa!"

Behind me, I heard Deirdre talking on the phone.

I continued pounding and trying to turn the handle. "Let me get to her! She's in trouble!"

The door suddenly opened, causing me to fall forward, straight into Dimitri's arms.

"Roza!" he exclaimed, steadying me. "What's going on?"

"It's Lissa!" I shouted. "She's in trouble!"

I forced myself into her mind, horrified by what I saw. Lissa was standing in front of her window, about to jump. I could see Avery's cold eyes glinting out of the corner of her eye.

"You should get down from there," Avery's silky voice washed over me. No, not me, Lissa. I could hear the subtle command underneath, though. Avery suddenly noticed something.

_You again_, her voiced snarled in my mind. _Get out! _I was forced out of Lissa's mind.

"She's in her room, about to jump!" I screamed.

Dimitri immediately leaped into action, calling several guardians on the radio as he took off towards the Moroi dorms. I followed as fast as my six month belly would let me.

At the doorway to the dorms, I ran into Adrian and Christian.

"What's going on? Little Dhampir!" Adrian cried out.

"No time," I snapped. "Adrian, you need to get up there and keep Avery from killing Lissa."

Adrian simply stared at me for a few seconds before sprinting up the stairs.

"Come on, Chris!" I cried, beginning my waddle up the stairs.

Christian lent me his arm, helping me up. Halfway up the stairs to Lissa's third floor room, he stopped.

"I am not letting you hurt yourself or your baby," he snapped, pulling out his cell phone. _Cell phone? When did Christian get a cell phone?_

"Mason? Get your ass to the Moroi dorms, right now. Like, five minutes ago now. Rose needs help. Don't ask questions, go!" Christian snapped his phone shut, then wrapped his arm around me again, helping me up. Not even two minutes later, pounding footsteps announced Mason's arrival.

Mason took one look at me, leaning on Christian and spun around.

"Climb on," he said.

I carefully climbed onto his back, being mindful of my stomach.

"To Lissa's room," Christian said hurriedly.

"This feels awkward," I whined as Mason began climbing the steps like a mountain goat.

"Don't worry about it. As long as you get up there safe."

We made it to Lissa's room in record time.

He let me down as soon as we reached the door. Once it opened, I called back to Mason, "Get Eddie! We need all the help we can get!"

Mason nodded, already on his phone.

I turned to survey the scene. Lissa was still by the window, but looked like she was fighting it. Adrian was trying to talk to Avery. Avery noticed me by the door.

"You!" She screeched, hurting my ears. "It's all your fault!"

She stared me. I focused on the things I loved to fight her compulsion. _Dimitri. Ivan. Dimitri. Ivan. _I felt something odd almost brush my mind. I fought against it, not liking it.

For a moment, it seemed as if I blacked out. Once I came back, an excruciating pain hit my stomach. I doubled over with a yelp. I felt something wet, suddenly. Looking down, I saw a red splotch on my pants. _Blood. _

The door burst open, revealing Dimitri. He took in the scene for a second, before beginning to go towards Lissa. He then spotted me, doubled over in pain.

"Roza!" Dimitri cried out, and immediately scooped me up bridal style. I felt like I blacked out for a moment, making time skip because the next time I opened my eyes, I found myself in the birthing room, the pain in my stomach tripling.

"We're losing him!" I heard a doctor cry out.

"Push!"

It was as if my body, and not my brain, followed that command as I pushed. The pain increased even more, doubling back on itself before rising again.

I screamed so loud my throat burned.

"No, no, no, no!"

The pain reached its crest as I felt something slide out of me. And then I blacked out.

Only a few minutes passed before I came to again, only to see Dimitri staring in absolute horror at a bloody, small body in his hands. The pain rose again, and I thankfully passed out.

The next time I woke up, everything was quiet. There was no pain. I looked to my right and saw Dimitri sitting in a chair, his head buried in his arms.

"Comrade?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. Instinctively, my hands flew down to my stomach; it was flat. "Comrade, what happened?"

Dimitri stood up, his face filled with pain. "You lost him," he said, his voice barely controlled. "You just had to be a hero and go there, and you kill him." His voice shook with pain and tears and hatred. "Now there is a possibility that you will never have children. I say good. You'd make a terrible mother anyway. You can't even take care of a child while it's part of you. You'll never be able to care for one once it's out."

I lay frozen as he walked out. His words kept repeating in my mind. _You killed him. You killed him _I killed my son. My son was dead because of me. I began drowning.

Suddenly, I felt an odd flutter. My hands moved along my stomach to that spot in confusion. There was another nudge. But Ivan was dead.

I felt the nudge again. Then he shifted, making it obvious that he was still there. Avery. Something with Avery. Then it hit me, and the compulsion was lifted.

I stared at her in horror which quickly shifted to anger.

"How dare you-"

"How dare you!" Avery screeched back. "You tried to take away my Adrian, you bitch. I'll take everything of yours!" Then she spun around to face Lissa once more. "Jump!" That one word was filled with so much power, it appeared as though that's what pushed Lissa out of the window, not her slipping foot.

"Noooo!" I cried out, lurching to the window.

Avery laughed maniacally. "Poor little Rosie, lost her best friend. Next thing you know, her baby will follow on her heels!"

Avery lunged towards me, and I cowered away. Just in time, Mason tackled her.

"No! You won't be killing anymore today!"

Guardians flooded into the room, taking Avery from Mason.

"I hate you! I hate you!" Avery yelled, trying to free herself. "I hope you die!"

The guardians took her away. Through the bond, I felt Lissa sigh in relief. Lissa!

I bounded to the window, and saw Lissa clutching Dimitri for dear life. Forcing myself into her mind, I saw a replay of the last minute in her mind.

When she had fallen out of the window, Dimitri had caught her, knocking the breath out of her. Once she realised that she was alive and not a splatter on the grass, she began thanking Dimitri profusely. Dimitri, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to be upstairs.

"Hey, Comrade!" I called down, relief plain in my voice. Dimitri's head snapped up, a smile breaking over his face. "Good catch!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well, I was going to wait a little bit to post this, but...eh. **_

_**Okay...kinda lame, the ending there. Sorry! But...what do you think? The story is almost over! Only a few more chapters left! Oh No!**_

**_Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Especially TheBookShelf. Check out her stories! They're amazing! (I hope you're a she, anyway...lol)_**

**_Check out my new story, Unspeakable Love, please! Thank you!_**

**_Xoxoxo_**

**_-Tatiana_**


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

It took maybe an hour for the relief to finally ebb away and the horror of the situation to sink in. By that time, I had been check out by the doctor and was halfway through the debrief. I'd just reached the part where Avery had shown me my worst nightmare when the realisation of how close I had really been to losing everyone had set in.

I began hyperventilating. Immediately, Dimitri picked me up and walked out of Alberta's office and took me to our cabin.

As he walked rapidly toward the woods, my mind flashed back to the vision and the feel of Dimitri's arms as he carried me to the infirmary. _It's not the same, it's not the same,_ I chanted to myself, but no matter what I thought, tears splashed down my face at the memory of the pain. Sobs escaped my lips, my whole body shaking.

I felt the change in temperature as Dimitri stepped into the cabin and realised my eyes were screwed shut. He set me gently down on the bed near the pillows, then followed. He pulled me into his body, wrapping it around me. My head lay on his chest, my body curled into a tight fetal position, encircling my stomach protectively. Dimitri's arms wound around me, holding me to his heart. His long legs somehow managed to tangle with mine, keeping us impossibly close.

Putting his lips near my ear, Dimitri began singing a Russian lullaby. He often sang it to me when Ivan's movement kept me up. He didn't say a single word, simply held me and sang to me until I calmed down. This took quite a while.

It seemed as though everything from the last month hit me at once. From seeing Adrian and hearing his cruel words to slowly - or, really, rather quickly - losing everyone save for Dimitri from my life. The rumors, the insults, Adrian's presence looming over me, Lissa's words, the nightmares, everything. The hormones seized me, making me a babbling, blithering, sobbing mess of tears and emotion. Through it all, Dimitri held me.

"It's all my fault," I sobbed out, past the point where wordless sobs were enough. "My fault. I did it to myself."

"No you didn't," Dimitri said, speaking for the first time. His voice was hoarse and filled with emotion. "None of it is your fault. Avery was a psycho."

"I almost lost Ivan _and_ you _and _Lissa," I said, my voice breaking with each _and._

"No you didn't, Roza," Dimitri whispered. "You'll never lose me, and I'll always keep you and Lissa and Ivan safe."

"You don't understand. She showed me and she was right." I could barely breathe. The pain and tears and everything tearing me apart had come to its peak.

"Rose, Rose, _Roza_, breathe!" Dimitri cried out, pulling away and sitting me up.

My chest heaved as I became light-headed.

"Roza, look at me!" Dimitri commanded his voice sharp.

My eyes darted around before finally focusing on his.

"Roza, focus. Take a deep breath. Focus, With me now." Dimitri took exaggerated deep breaths, and I did my best to imitate him.

As air filled my lungs, it became easier to focus on Dimitri, to breathe with him.

"Ssshhhh, Roza, calmed down. You need to calm down," he murmured, peppering my face and neck with butterfly kisses.

I finally calmed and Dimitri pulled me into a tight hug.

"I am so relieved that you are okay," he whispered fiercely. "Don't you ever do something as stupid as that, do you hear me?"

I nodded, helpless and completely unable to disagree. I agreed wholeheartedly with him. It _was_ soo stupid of me to do that. I promised him, myself, and my child in that instant that I would never put myself into such danger again.

We simply held onto each other, until both of our breathing evened out and we weren't clutching each other quite so hard.

I pulled slightly away to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry, Dimitri," I said softly, cupping his cheek with my hand.

Dimitri leaned into my hand, closing his eyes briefly, before opening them again. "I - I want to say 'it's okay,' but it's really not. You scared me so much. I thought I'd lost you." He sighed, his warm breath washing over my face softly. "However, I forgive you. Just...please. Be careful. Okay?"

I nodded again, my eyes welling up with tears once more. It felt as if I was in the middle of a hurricane of emotions, the eye of the storm nowhere in sight. Now that the horror had passed, the relief and happiness and love and _aliveness_ filled me. Before Dimitri could say a word about the tears, I threw my arms around his neck, pulling my body on top of his, forcing him to fall backwards on the bed. I pressed my lips frantically onto his.

For a few startled seconds, Dimitri just lay there, not moving. Once he got over his shock, he began kissing me with equal vigor. I pour all of my happiness and love and relief into that kiss, feeling Dimitri return all of those emotions and much more. Rapidly, the kiss escalated from 'thank goodness we're alive,' to 'I want you now.'

It seemed as if Dimitri was letting go of his previous rules as his hands wandered over my shirt. Over the last couple of weeks, we hadn't had much opportunity to kiss, as I was mostly always sad or upset somehow and all he did was hug me. I now took advantage of the kisses and his lapse in control to tug his shirt over his head. Dimitri made a small noise of annoyance at the separation of our lips, but it quickly turned to pleasure as I ran my hands over his hard chest and kissed down his neck.

Dimitri slipped his hands under my shirt and ran them along my sensitive, six month stomach. For once, Ivan decided to not ruin our moment and stayed still. As Dimitri's hands rose up, so did my t-shirt, until it was bunched up underneath my arms. I raised my arms and let him pull it off of me, sitting up so that I was straddling him in the process. For an instant, I was self-conscious of the fact that I was no longer the thin and in-shape beauty I was before I got pregnant, but all of my insecurities scattered as Dimitri gazed at my almost bare upper body with desire. This wasn't the first time he had seen me like this, but it was the first time in over a month.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered reverently.

Dimitri sat up and crashed his lips with mine once more. He ran his hands along my back, caressing the skin, before moving them forward, all the while kissing me. I resumed my own exploration of his chest. I broke the kiss to breathe, but he continued kissing me down my neck, and along my shoulders, to the outline of my bra. My breathing was embarrassingly loud and small moans kept escaping from my lips. I couldn't help it, though. This was the farthest I had ever gotten with anyone, not counting my rape. No one had ever touched me the way Dimitri now was. Excitement and pleasure filled my body. I pressed Dimitri's head closer to my breasts, arching my back as my hand got lost in his soft hair. He brought one of his hands forward and squeezed my breast while the other rested around my back and on the hip on the other side.

"Dimitri!" I cried out, gripping his hair harder.

He let out a small moan in response. And then he stopped and moved his head to rest on my shoulder.

I held onto his shoulders as Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist, both of us trying to catch our breath.

"What - what was - why - why did you stop?" I finally gasped out, shocked from the sensory overload, then absolutely nothing.

"Roza," Dimitri groaned out, pulling away, his eyes squeezed shut. "We can't."

I stopped breathing for a moment. "What?!" I cried out.

"Roza, you know we can't. I've told you this before." Dimitri gave me an apologetic look.

Rejection, mortifyingly hot and painfully cold, flooded through me. I pulled myself off of his lap and to the edge of the bed, simply collapsing there as all of the energy simply drained out of me.

"Roza?" Dimitri asked tentatively.

"What Dimitri?" I asked tonelessly.

"Roza, what's wrong?"

I felt the bed shift as he crawled done it to sit beside me. I snorted. "You have to ask?"

"Yes...?" Dimitri replied, unsure.

"Do you not want me?" I asked in a whisper, staring at the carpet.

There was a beat of silence, then Dimitri's arms were around me once more. "Of course I do, Roza. I love you!" he exclaimed.

I pulled away. "Could've fooled me," I muttered darkly. My hormones had officially taken over and I refused to be responsible of what came out of my mouth.

"Roza, I don't understand." Dimitri sighed with frustration.

"You know, if you don't want me, just say so, alright? You don't have to keep playing with my emotions. If you don't want me, say so now, so we can end this. I'm tired of you being all 'I want you' one second then pull away the very next," I snapped, glaring at him. I _was_ tired of the emotional whiplash he put me through every time we kissed.

"I-Roza, I'm sorry, I was just-" Dimitri began.

"No, an apology isn't going to cut it this time, Dimitri," I cut him off. "Don't tell me it was to protect me. You know, every time we kiss, we don't have to get naked."

"Rose, I'm sor-" This time, he cut himself off, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Rose, I love you. Of course I want you! Just...you're right. I _do_ want to protect you. And you're right once more; every time we kiss, we don't have to get naked. But it's so hard to resist you, Roza." He gave me a pleading look.

I looked down once more. "Dimitri, do you have any idea how hard this is for me?" I said in a broken whisper. "I have never in my life felt...sexual pleasure. Before my virginity was so harshly taken by Adrian, my sexual escapades consisted of nothing more than a handful of make-out sessions the extent of which didn't go beyond a grope over the shirt, or maybe my shirt coming off. Nothing more. No one ever even ventured between my legs." I couldn't look at him as I said all of this. Mortification and shame burned through me.

"Oh, Roza." Dimitri's voice sounded pained. The bed shifted once more as he again crawled to me. Gently, he cupped my face. "Roza, I am so, so sorry. I had no idea. I didn't realise how much I was hurting you by this." He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. Then he awkwardly shuffled back to the head of the bed and laid down with me. He turned us so that I was laying on my back and he was hovering on top of me. He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. Pulling back, he searched my eyes for something. "Can I fix it?" he whispered.

My breath caught. "W-what? Fix it?"

Dimitri nodded, his eyes intense as they stared into mine. "Can I make you feel pleasure you've never dreamed of?"

I stared at him in amazement. "I - what, I mean, how...? Do I...?" I trailed off, unsure of what I was trying to ask, my face burning.

Dimitri gave me a purely seductive smile, the likes of which I'd never before seen, or ever imagined would appear on my Comrade's face. The air froze in my lungs.

"Just lay back and enjoy," he murmured before ducking his head to kiss _all _the way down my body.

All I could do was hold on as he took me to pleasure-filled places I never knew existed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I was awakened by a knock on the cabin door.<p>

I groaned and snuggled closer to Dimitri. The knock sounded again.

"Go away," I mumbled.

Next to me, Dimitri chuckled. "Come on, Rose. We need to get up anyway."

I groaned again. "Why? I don' wanna!" I whined like a little girl.

Dimitri chuckled again. He seemed in high spirits for so early in the morning, I mused absentmindedly.

"Come, Snow White, get up. We have a visitor. I'll make breakfast," he bribed me.

I lifted my head in confusion. "Snow White?" I questioned.

Dimitri nodded. "She was asleep and had to be woken by a kiss too, you know," he said knowledgeably.

I rolled my eyes and sat up, keeping the blanket around me. All I was wearing was Dimitri's t-shirt and it was cold outside the blankets. "Well, then get the fire going and my breakfast cooking, Dopey," I replied.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "Dopey?"

I shrugged. "He was my favorite," I answered, clambering out of bed with the blanket still around me.

"Are you trying to hide from me?" Dimitri teased, amusement clear in his voice.

I snorted. "You wish," I shot back. "I'm cold is all."

Dimitri suddenly jumped into action, adding more logs to the fire and poking at them to get them to burn better, or something. I couldn't help but smile lovingly at his concern. Another knock jarred me from my thoughts.

"Oh, hang on would ya?" I hollered back. "We just got up!"

There was wondrous silence outside, but I sensed that the person hadn't left.

Now that the cabin had warmed up, I was able to let the blanket fall and get dressed uninhibited.

"Rose, you're getting the blanket dirty," Dimitri chastised.

"Do you think we'll be able to move back to our old room now that Avery is gone?" I wondered, ignoring his comment.

"I'm not sure. I'm sure Alberta would prefer it. It's not exactly safe out here," Dimitri replied, stooping down to pick up the fallen blanket and throw it back onto the bed.

"Yeah, and it's really boring." I made a face, pulling on a pair of fuzzy black socks.

"Are you cooking breakfast?" I gave Dimitri puppy eyes. He melted.

"Of course, Roza. Pancakes?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "I'm gonna let whoever is out there in, alright?"

Dimitri nodded, already preparing the batter.

"Is there syrup?" I called back to Dimitri as I opened the door, looking back at him.

Dimitri nodded without looking up. "Of course; would I offer you pancakes otherwise?"

I giggled, then turned to whoever had been waiting patiently outside of my door.

The promptly slammed it shut.

Or, well, tried to, as he stuck his foot in the doorway, causing the door to crash into his foot, but bounce off.

"Ow, dammit!" he cursed.

I glared at him. "Go away."

"No, wait, Rose. Please! At least let me explain!" Adrian cried out, looking at me pleadingly.

I felt Dimitri come up behind me. "She said leave," he said coldly.

"I won't even come in, okay? I'll stand right here, okay?" Adrian raised his hands up and moved his foot away from the doorway, backing up a step so that he stood about a foot away from the house. "Please, just hear me out."

I hesitated. He was once one of my best friends. He had either never acknowledged the fact that he had hurt me or taunted me with it. Part of me wanted to hear what he was saying, but the other part was screaming to never see him again. Before I could decide, Dimitri did it for me.

"Get away. Now. And stay away. Don't you ever come near her again," he snarled.

Adrian backed up a couple of steps, his hands up in the universal show of surrender. "I understand you're angry and hurt and upset and a million things I will never even begin to understand. But I am _begging _you, _please_ let me explain. _Please, Rose_." He literally fell to his knees and clasped his hands in front of him as if praying, but his eyes didn't leave mine.

I hesitated again.

"Rose, don't listen to him. Let's just go back and have breakfast. You don't have to do anything," Dimitri whispered into my ear, his arm around me protectively.

As I looked into Adrian's clear green eyes, filled with pleading, I couldn't help but cave. Yes, I was mad and upset and hurt and mortified and my ego decided to go into hibernation, but after everything that had happened, I couldn't afford to have someone else against me. I need all the friends I could find. I couldn't hate him forever; life was too short. Plus, I had my suspicions that Avery had somehow manipulated him.

"Alright." My own voice startled me. I hadn't realised I had come to a definite conclusion.

"Rose-" Dimitri began warningly.

I shook him off and stepped forward.

"Rose!" he exclaimed.

Adrian watched me with astonished eyes. "Rose?" he said uncertainly.

I swallowed nervously. "I want to hear what you have to say," I said, my voice shaking faintly. I could feel Dimitri behind me, protecting me.

Adrian gave a small nod, still shell-shock. He seemed to realise that I was serious and he shakily stood up.

Dimitri tensed at my back. "Rose, I don't like this," he said, tension clear in voice.

"Dimitri, you're going to be there the entire time. Nothing will happen," I insisted.

"Rose, you just promised me not to put yourself in danger."

"And I'm not," I replied, irritated. I didn't take my eyes off of Adrian the entire time.

"Come on, Adrian." I turned to go back into the cabin, assuming the two men would follow. Dimitri stayed where he was until I passed, then turned and followed. After a few seconds, I heard Adrian's uncertain steps after us.

"Rose, I really don't like this," Dimitri said through gritted teeth. I didn't have to look at his face to know he was spitting mad.

"Dimitri, you're going to be there the entire time. What could go wrong?" But despite my reassurances, he put a small nugget of doubt into my mind. _What if something did happen?_ I wondered. _Would Dimitri be able to keep us safe? Would Adrian hurt me again? _I shook it off, reminding myself everything would be fine. Adrian had changed, anyone could see it.

The three of us walked through the open doorway of our cabin, Adrian a few beats behind Dimitri and I.

"Go by the bed," Dimitri murmured, before closing the door behind Adrian.

I complied, knowing he was hatching a plan for me to stay safe and for him to be able to stop Adrian should anything happen.

Dimitri led Adrian to a chair in the kitchen area, while I sat at the foot of bed. With the way the bed was positioned, I was nearest to the door, with Adrian several feet away, blocked by a table and Dimitri strategically between us. The camp stove we used to cook our meals sat cool in the middle of the table, causing my stomach to rumble lightly at the thought of breakfast. Luckily neither heard.

"Talk," Dimitri growled, leaning against the wall of the cabin, hawk eyes tracking Adrian's every move.

It seemed as though now that he had gotten me to talk to him, words escaped Adrian.

"I-" he faltered, his eyes darting between the two of us. "I just..." he trailed off, his eyes focusing on my distended stomach.

Instinctively, I placed my left hand over it, not even realising that my right was already touching it for comfort.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know, not enough. It will never be enough. I took something from you that you can never get back, I scarred you for life, in so many ways. I just want to say that...it wasn't me. Say what you will, I'm telling you the honest truth." His eyes bore into mine. "I - Avery...I met Avery at a royal ball, about a year before I met you. We hit it off almost immediately. She was a party girl, wanted nothing more than that: fun, booze and sex. What more could I ask for in a girl? Out of convenience, we began 'dating.' Both of our families wanted us to settle down and get serious, so what better way to do that than to stay together and party? Our parents could say nothing; we were dating royal Moroi, keeping the lines going. That's all they ever wanted and we were giving it to them. I never thought she saw me as more. I never knew she was a spirit user. I should have, but most of the time I spent around her, I was drunk. Now that I think about it, I don't recall a time when she was drunk with me, after we got together, I mean.

Maybe that was her plan all along, keep me drunk and with her, until we got married and produced spirit babies. I'm not sure. She seemed fascinated by my spirit powers, though, always pushing me to try new things and I was always eager to please her. Of course, this created darkness, which caused me to drink more, which caused my will to be weak. Now that I think about it, she wanted that. There would be times when she would tell me to not drink, that it wasn't necessary. Those moments I don't remember well. The darkness would have almost free reign and with my scattered mind, I was all hers. It was partly - no, it was mostly my fault. I was too weak, to stupid to see that she was using me." Adrian stopped with his story to sigh and run his hands through his hair, agitated. He was no longer looking at me, but out the window to Dimitri's right. "When you came over to see your mom, it was like light was shining for the first time through all the darkness. Suddenly, I didn't want to be with Avery and all of her partying and darkness and crazy. I wanted to be with you and your innocence and laughter. Your brightness. I don't remember what happened when I told Avery we should break up. All I know is that she got mad." He looked at me again. "Rose, I'm sorry for dragging you into this, for hurting you. If I hadn't - if I hadn't said a word to Avery about you, none of this would have happened. I'm sorry. That night, at the party, she was there. She had told me to not drink. I didn't. That's why I seemed so messed up; the darkness was wrecking havoc on my mind. She told me to hurt you, to ruin your life any way I could. _I _raped you. _I _did it of my own free - well, forced, but free within the force - will. I'm so, so sorry. If I could go back in time..." Adrian sighed again. "Well, a lot of things would be different. But I can't do that, can I?" He gave me a wan smile, one filled with sadness and self-hate. "I'm sorry, Rose. If you ever need anything, money, a place to stay, connections, _anything_, I'm here. I can never make up for what I did to you, I won't even pretended I can, but I will do everything in my power to make your life and your child's life easier, okay? Anything you ever want, don't hesitate to ask."

I stared at him, stunned. My mind was all over the place from everything he had just told me. Avery had hated me that much? It was over Adrian? She really was a psychotic bitch? He would do anything? He didn't want to see his own child? I voiced the last question out loud.

"You don't want to be a part of Ivan's life?" I questioned, rubbing my belly.

"It's a boy?" Adrian smiled faintly, a faraway look in his eyes.

I nodded.

Adrian's smile widened. "I don't think I deserve it, Rose. Not after everything, especially after the way he was conceived. I don't think that he would even want to know me after that. I don't want him to live with some false image of me. I would love to know him, but I certainly don't deserve it." Adrian stood up slowly, as if he had aged thirty years in the brief time he had stayed. "Well, I have intruded upon your company for much too long. Enjoy your breakfast and the rest of the day." He turned to Dimitri and _bowed._ "Thank you so much for taking care of her. I hope you two have a happy life, and once more, don't hesitated to ask if you need anything." With that, he back out the door.

* * *

><p><em><strong> AN: Well, this chapter didn't end quite the way I wanted it to, but, eh. Sorry for the super long wait! My muse decided to die on me :P Be prepared to see much more of this story, tough! My goal is to finish it before New Year! And, unfortunately, there won't be much to finish :( Only four more chapters after this :'( I know, I'm crying too(; **_

_** Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You're all amazing I love you! :***_

_** Don't forget to leave a review for me more Christmas! Remember, it's the time of giving! And nothing is better than a delicious review! **_

_** xoxoxoxoxo**_

_** -Tatiana**_


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

RPOV:

After Adrian left, Dimitri and I sat in silence for several long minutes, mulling over everything he said. I was still a bit shell-shocked from everything he had said, but things were slowly evening out in my mind. I could mostly understand where he was coming from in the respect of not deserving to be in Ivan's life. Personally, I didn't want him anywhere near Ivan right now. If that changed at all in the near or far future, I wouldn't hesitate to include Adrian. As things stood right now, I was pretty sure I'd take a shotgun to his head if he came within ten feet of my son. Maybe, when the day finally came that I would allow my son to know his biological father, maybe then I would also be able to forgive him for what he did to me. Right now, though, the wound was too fresh, too raw. I still had nightmares and flashbacks. I still wasn't 110% comfortable around any man other than Dimitri. _And Ivan,_ I realised with a start, but he hardly counted; after all, he was in my stomach.

"Roza?" Dimitri inquired. "Are you alright?"

I nodded absentmindedly, drawing circled on my stomach thoughtfully. Adrian had said to go to him for anything I needed, but I knew I wouldn't. It didn't feel right, and anyway, Lissa, my mom, my dad, they were all there for me. I paused that thought and rewound. Well, my mom was there for me. I didn't know what was going on with Lissa, and my dad...that was a whole another can of worms I didn't feel like prying open at this point in time.

"So, breakfast?"

I nodded, not really paying attention. I focused on the part in Adrian's speech where he had admitted the rape was mostly him, that he was told to simply ruin my life. I gave a sad sigh. Well he had certainly succeeded. Sort of. After all, this pregnancy had not only given me something I had never even thought was a possibility - my son - but also gave me Dimitri. A family I never had, or dreamed I'd ever have. I always thought that I would grow old, watching over Lissa and protecting her and her family, or maybe I'd die in battle, a heroic, lonely death. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I would suffer the worst moment of my life, but get so much love out of it.

Suddenly, I remembered something else Adrian had mentioned - darkness. He had never mentioned it during our time with him and Victor (_wince) _hadn't said anything about it last year either. But now that he mentioned it, I realised he was right. I thought back to how every time Lissa used magic she would always grow depressed or out of control - until she didn't. Until _I _was the one out of control and angry. My breath caught at the thought. Was I taking it? Adrian had said it was a darkness that took over his mind, made him go crazy, make his mind fragile. I thought back to all the random outbursts I would get, that toned down a bit, until Adrian was back in the picture. I frowned. I hadn't gotten overly angry in the last month, not since Avery had come back. However, Lissa used magic constantly, when she wasn't drunk, that is. Maybe the alcohol numbed it like it numbed our bond? I sighed, deciding that must be it, since Adrian did the same thing. How was it affecting my child, though? My hands fluttered on my stomach, patting it as if to make sure my baby was okay.

"Roza?"

I stilled my hands, not wanting Dimitri to worry.

"I'm fine," I forced a smile. "Just thinking about what Adrian just told us."

"You shouldn't worry," Dimitri muttered, then said something in Russian under his breath.

"What?" I gave him a questioning look.

Dimitri shook his head, not answering. He instead waved me over to the table where a plate of steaming pancakes slathered in butter and drowned in syrup sat in front of one of the two chairs.

"Wow, Comrade, this is the unhealthiest meal you've cooked me in a long time," I commented happily, digging in.

"Well, I figured you deserved something good after yesterday, and felt that you needed to keep your energy up." His eyes glittered with mischief as he implied that he wasn't exactly talking about my heroic rescue.

My face flamed at the memory. I was having difficulty swallowing as I remembered last night. Even though we hadn't had sex - he was still firm in the belief that we should at least wait until I was eighteen and _hopefully _graduated - but he had stayed true to his word. He had given me a whole new appreciation for his tongue and proved to me that his sic kissing skills weren't reserved for above the belt only.

"You look lovely with all that color in your cheeks," he murmured, his eyes focused on my face. "Especially in the throes of pleasure." He gave me a wicked smile at that, causing my face to flame even darker.

"Guardian Belikov," I exclaimed in pretend outrage. "Are you being smug?"

Dimitri chuckled, a self-satisfied grin overtaking his face. "No, not all, _Roza_."

I swallowed, not used to attention like this from him. I bit my lip, suddenly uncertain about last night. I'd been a bit spent after Dimitri was finally done with me, so I'd fallen asleep as soon as Dimitri had joined me on the pillows, meaning he hadn't gotten any pleasure. I looked at him uncertainly, the heat in my cheeks now more of a slow burn of shame. "I - what about, you know, _you_? I didn't - I mean..." I trailed off, almost sweating from the heat surrounding my body, the kind of heat that came straight from hell, but looking furtively around, a hole didn't open up in the ground, ready to swallow me up whole. Unfortunately. Could this get more awkward?

Dimitri chuckled, causing me to duck my head even more in my mortification, my hair swinging forward to cover my face. I felt very small in that moment, the beginning of tears building up in my chest.

"Oh, Roza, I'm sorry." Dimitri crouched in front of me and brushed my hair away from my face.

Internally, I cursed myself. Where was the Rose Hathaway that didn't give a damn what people thought, that faced things head on, that spoke her mind? Surely, she was buried underneath this sniveling, weak, pathetic pregnant woman!

"Roza, love, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about." Dimitri took my face into his hands, a soft look upon his usually hard face. "I was perfectly fine knowing I gave you so much pleasure. You don't have to worry so much, milaya." He kissed my nose playfully.

I looked at him shyly. "Really?" I whispered.

Dimitri nodded, grinning. "Yes, absolutely. Seeing you like that, filled with so much pleasure and knowing I was the one to bring it to you..." he trailed off, a faraway look on his face. He blinked, coming back to himself, a grin planting itself on his face once more. "Well, I'll be fine for a long time."

I glanced down, then looked back at him through my eyelashes. Despite being on his knees in front of my chair, he was still taller than me. I leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips, mine sticky from syrup, causing them to stick briefly to each other. I giggled. "Thank you."

Dimitri gave me a full smile, blinding me with its brilliance. "I love seeing you so relaxed," he murmured and leaned forward to kiss me again.

Unfortunately, Ivan chose this moment to shift slightly - right on my bladder. Seeing the pained look on my face, Dimitri leaped away, alarmed.

"What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

I grimaced. "Your son decided that my bladder makes a great seat," I replied drily, standing up to use the small bathroom we had. Thank goodness we didn't have to use an outhouse.

Once I'd finished, I went back out and sat down to continue mt breakfast. Dimitri now had a plate of pancakes in front of him, although his wasn't quite as big as my own. I frowned.

"How come you gave me so much?" I asked.

Dimitri smiled. "Because you're eating for two and you haven't been eating properly for the last month. I'm hoping that the decreased levels of stressed will get you to eat all of it." He had such a hopeful look on his face that I could help but dig in again.

I ended up eating the entire stack of pancakes, plus about two from his own plate, along with two glasses of orange juice. Once I started eating, I realised how ravenous I truly was. Dimitri had to remind me several times to breathe.

After both of us were done, he washed the dishes while I watched from the table.

"You'd make a great housewife," I said dreamily.

Dimitri barked out a laugh, startling me. "A housewife?" He gave me a questioning look over his shoulder.

I nodded. "Mmhmm. You can cook, you can clean, you can even massage. You'll be a great father and housewife while I'm off protecting the Dragomir Princess," I teased him.

He tensed slightly, but decided to ignore the elephant in the room, much like I was. "Oh yeah? So I'm going to stay home and take care of the kids while you're throwing yourself into danger and telling them all about your war stories?" he challenged.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, you got it!" I said happily.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, then turned serious. "Rose-" he began, but I shook my head.

"No, I still need to talk to her. Speaking of..." I relaxed my mind and focused on the bond.

After a few moments, I was able to force myself into Lissa's mind just long enough to see where she was - the infirmary. I came back to my own mind and frowned. "Why is Lissa in the infirmary?" I asked.

"Because she fell from three stories into my arms. She has bruising and a fractured rib," Dimitri explained.

My eyes widened. "Oh."

Dimitri nodded and dried off his hands. "I'm assuming you want to see her?" He raised an eyebrow.

I hesitated, then nodded. If Adrian can come to me and apologize and explain raping me, I can talk to my ex-best friend about the last month, her not believing me, turning her back on me and spreading rumors about me. Hm. Looking at it that way, Adrian's situation didn't look as bad. At least he was being compelled. What was her excuse?

"Alright," Dimitri didn't mention my doubts, which were probably written on my face in red neon. "Let's get dressed."

He helped me into my coat and boots, hat and gloves before putting on his own gear. He was so thoughtful and such a gentleman. I sighed softly. He was simply amazing.

We set off for the infirmary, all the way across campus.

"Yeah, staying all the way over here isn't such a good idea," I muttered.

Dimitri smiled, but didn't respond. After trekking to the edge of the woods, he finally spoke. "Rose, just remember. I'm here."

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. "I love you, Comrade," I whispered, smiling up at him.

Dimitri smiled back at me, his full smiled again. He was doing that a lot lately. Or today, really.

We reached the infirmary much quicker than I had expected. I wasn't at all prepared to see her or knew what to say as we stood outside Lissa's door.

"Rose-" Dimitri started.

"I can do this," I said firmly.

Dimitri gave me an irritated look. "You know, I wish one of these times you would let me finish my sentence," he grumbled.

He looked so adorable at that moment that I couldn't help but giggle again.

"Okay, Grouchy, so sorry. I just know what you're going to say before you say it, so why would I bother letting you waste precious time and air on unneeded words." I gave him a cute smile and watched him cave despite his best efforts to not.

"Alright," he muttered. "Just..." He sighed and shook his head. "Are we going in or not?"

I nodded. Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock on the door, only for it to open, revealing Christian.

"Christian!" I cried out in surprise.

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "Oh, my God, Rose, I am so, so sorry!"

Christian looked like he was about to cry at the same time as he wanted to throw himself at my feet and hug me. "I swear to god, he compelled me. I had no control. I swear. I am so, so sorry!" He looked completely torn and I was reminded that we had been good friends after the whole Victor fiasco, despite the fact that we tried to kill each other on the daily basis. He really became my big brother in the last few months after my rape.

I hesitated in forgiving him, but then I remembered again that he had believed me when not even Lissa did. I knew from personal experience that Adrian was good at compulsion, and found myself forgiving him instantly.

"Chris..." I trailed off and simply opened my arms up to him.

His eyes widened, but after a moment's hesitation, Christian stepped towards me. When I didn't drop my arms and turn away, he practically leaped into them, hugging me tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I'm sorry," he kept mumbling.

"It's okay Christian. It's hard to resist a spirit user's compulsion, I know from experience. I forgive you," I murmured back.

"Thank you, thank you. I'll repay you, I swear." I felt liquid on my neck and realised that Christian was crying.

I was confused about his reaction for a few moments. Yes, we were like siblings, but why was he so concerned about my friendship? For a terrifying moment, I thought that he was still under compulsion and was going to use me, but the truth of the matter hit me. I was one of his only friends, one of the few people who knew him and didn't judge. I was his little sister, and he thought he had lost me. Although that didn't completely explain his tears, his emotional reaction made sense. Sort of.

I was starting to feel uncomfortable when Dimitri finally told Christian to get off of me. Christian instantly stepped away, no questions asked, wiping his face surreptitiously.

"We'll talk later," I promised him.

Christian nodded, looking at me gratefully. "Meet you...somewhere...?"

"Meet me...at my cabin in, oh, say, half an hour?" I guessed.

Christian nodded. "Alright, see you then." He walked out of the infirmary and I turned to the room.

Lissa lay on the bed, propped up by pillows. She had watched the whole moment between Christian and I with a range of emotions on her face. I blocked off the bond, not wanting to know what she was thinking for once.

"Hey, Lissa," I said softly. "Mind if I come in?"

Lissa shook her head, and I walked into the room, Dimitri shadowing me.

I sat in the chair by her bed and an awkward silence ensued. I had no idea how to start this conversation, no idea what to say. How are you feeling? Glad you survived? Wish you hadn't?

"Rose..." Lissa started for me. "I just...I'm sorry!" she cried out, finally letting every bit of control loose. Tears poured from her eyes in great waterfalls. "I have no idea what to say besides that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Adrian, I'm sorry I hung out with him and Avery and turned my back on you and left you and said things and hurt you. You laid your life down for me, risking it and your child's and I was nothing but selfish. I'll understand if you never want to see me or talk to me again! I'll do everything in my power to fix this, so there's no more rumors about you. I don't care if I have to compel -"

"No!" I cut her off fiercely. "No, you will not be using any magic until my child is born. You've leaked enough of your darkness into me already! I have no idea how all of this is effecting Ivan, and until he is born no more magic."

Lissa blinked at me, astonished, then nodded ever so slightly. "O-okay, then. I'll do it the old fashioned way."

"How?" I asked sarcastically. "By commanding them in the name of the Dragomir Princess?"

"If I have to yes," Lissa's voice was level and calm. She looked deadly serious. "I know that can't even begin to heal and fix all the wrongs I've done to you, but I guess it's a start. I understand if you don't want to be my guardian. Or if you do stay my guardian, we'll go wherever you want to. I'll stay at the school if you want. I'll stay in some warded place and not leave it once unless you want to, so you don't have to put your life in danger. You have a family now." I stiffened at that. She can't know, can she? "Your child needs you more than I do. I'll help however I can. I'm sure you'd rather Christian's help but I'm here too. I would have died had it not been for you. Thank you. I forever owe you my life, and not just for that, but for everything you've helped me with. I am so, so sorry, Rose." Lissa looked at me mournfully.

For once, she wasn't expecting forgiveness, and wasn't asking for it. Maybe it was that, or the fact that I was hormonal and missed my best friend, but I found myself forgiving her. Not completely, not at all. What she had done wasn't going to be let go of that easily. But I could see the sacrifices she was making by staying in a protected place. She had always wanted to travel, to see the world before settling down and having a large family, but she was willing to put her own plans on hold so that I could have some time with my son to raise him and protect him without risking my life. I loved her so much for it.

"Lissa..." I sighed. "I love you, Liss. No matter what, you're still my sister. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll be forgiving you all the way for a while, but know this: I do forgive you. I know not all of it was your choice, most of it wasn't. But you made the choice to party and get drunk, you made the choice to not believe me. Those are the things I can't forgive yet. But...thank you for allowing me to be with my child while I can be. I'm glad you're okay." I stood up and pressed a kiss on her forehead. I couldn't stay in this room any longer without bursting into tears and hugging and forgiving her for everything, and I couldn't do that just yet. So I left, despite her trying to call me back.

* * *

><p>The talk with Christian turned me into a hormonal, emotional mess. He was a great friend after all and was as willing to help me as Lissa and Adrian. I knew he had never liked Adrian, and having been controlled by Adrian for the last month or so had really broken something between him and Lissa. They were still together and in love, but there was a distance like a wound between them. He was hoping that by fixing things with me would fix things between them, but I knew better. They had to work things out on their own, without me.<p>

Fortunately for me, I got the rest of the week off. Even more fortunately for me, the weekend was Valentine's Day. Although I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, Dimitri surprised me with two days away from the Academy, in the city. We stayed at a hotel for two nights and two days. He took me out to dinner and movies, and got me a gorgeous pair of earrings and an adorable teddy bear for Valentine's day. For those two days, it felt as if we were back at the ski lodge, as if we were a normal couple. We took advantage of the hotel's privacy to explore the more physical aspects of our relationship. At the end of the two days, Dimitri was still standing by his 'no sex until you're at least eighteen' but his hold was shaky. I couldn't help but grin at the thought that I was the reason for it. He was so experienced and skilled with his...various body parts, I couldn't say I was frustrated sexually at all. He taught me surprisingly a lot about giving and receiving pleasure, and knowing that we had to go back to the Academy and our old room made me almost sad. The knowledge that I would be in my own bed with Dimitri kept me from being too upset.

However, the fairytale ended as soon as I stepped foot into school on Monday. It seemed with the absence of Avery, the only thing that changed was the fact that no one was openly spitting in my face - or, well, calling me things to my face. Christian and Lissa stood by me, but that didn't mean anyone else did. Mason stood nearby me in class, but stood by his Moroi during lunch, even though it wasn't necessary. Eddie stuck by Mason. Although I knew they were staying away because I hurt Mason and not because of the rumors, it still hurt.

People still spoke behind my back, but having Lissa there made things a little bit better. While I was gone, she apparently had started her 'Operation change people's mind about Rose.' It was turning out surprisingly well, but I couldn't find it in me to care anymore. As long as they weren't openly laughing at me, it was fine. After all, I've always had people saying things about me. I learned to move on with my life.

The next two months seemed to alternately fly and crawl by. Classes and school in general crawled by, but the moments I spent with my family and friends flashed by. On my birthday, Dimitri surprised me with a promise ring. I cried with happiness, then again with sadness as I realised that I couldn't wear it outside of our little bubble of privacy called our room. Dimitri assured me that it was fine and I could wear it on a necklace to keep it with me at all times. The ring itself was gorgeous: a silver band with a line of several small sapphires scattered diagonally across it, with the words 'forever my love' engraved on the opposite side. On the inside, the words 'Roza, you are my heart' was engraved. Dimitri had a matching promise ring, although there wasn't an engraving on the inside. When I asked him about it, he'd simply stated, "I wanted you to choose what was inside."

That weekend, we went to Missoula once more, under the pretense of getting baby supplies - we got those too - and had, 'I love you, Comrade' engraved on the inside of his ring.

While we were waiting for it to be done, we'd gone baby shopping, getting everything we would possibly need, from a crib to clothes to diapers. I kind of wished I had shared this with Lissa, but figured shopping for her baby would make up for it. Plus, this wouldn't be the last time we would need to go shopping for Ivan. Ivan, who came earlier than expected.

I was walking back to our room by myself for once. Things at school had finally calmed down, and surprisingly, most of the dhampirs were, if not talking to me outright, at least friendly. Or maybe it wasn't so surprising; after all, graduation was just around the corner and in just a couple of short months, we would all be in the same boat. Or war, depending on how you looked at it. Dimitri wanted us to go to Russia to see his family for what could be the last time in a while, and while it was okay for me to go. He was now in a meeting with Alberta and Kirova about taking me with him, the reason I was walking back alone.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted when someone yanked me backwards by pulling my shoulder and colliding my back with theirs. I was frozen with fear, wide eyed and my hands instantly flew to my belly protectively.

"Well, well, well. I see your protector is nowhere to be found." I heard his sickening voice whispered in my ear and felt his other hand tightening just below my breasts to keep me unmoving. I knew I should get away, but I was afraid of hurting my child. "Lucky me." I could almost _feel_ his cockiness. The scene when my virginity was roughly taken away from me came back to me and instead of paralyzing me with terror, it angered me in a way I had only felt once before, when I finally confronted Adrian.

_Not again, not this fucking time. _I thought, letting my instincts and everything Dimitri taught me take over. Rose was finally back out of the pathetic shell.

I elbowed my attacker in the kidneys and the grip on my shoulder loosened. I took that as my opportunity so I grabbed his hand, bent forward and pulled him over my body. Though it was slightly difficult to achieve with my now eight month stomach and not at all safe. His back hit the ground in front of me with such force that his lungs were left empty of air. I restrained him by pinning his arms and legs and then took a good look on his face.

"The thing is _Jesse,_" I said his name in disgust and leaned in. "I don't _NEED_ a protector!" I whispered the last part for a more dramatic effect. My voice was cold and I glared at him like I've never had before while summoning the remains of my control; I wanted to torture him a little.

"Lucky ME!" I screamed in his face and had the pleasure of seeing him scared as if I was a Strigoi.

"What do you have to say now?" I asked him with fake sweetness lacing my every word but he just stared at me and struggled a little, in vain. "What? Cat caught your tongue _honey_? Awww too bad." _That_ seemed to hit his ego.

"Blood whore," he said right in my face.

_Oh no you didn't! _I screamed in my mind; maybe out loud too. Whatever control I had managed to gather up disappeared as soon as he said that and my fist came in contact with his face. I had been called that one too many times and he was the lucky one to suffer my rage and pain and suffering. I didn't know for just how long I was screaming 'you son of a bitch' and 'bastard' and how long I was punching and kicking wherever I could, but all too soon, someone tried pulling me off of him. Again - in vain. I escaped out of their grip somehow and turned back to hitting the shit out of Jesse in blind rage.

Then I felt more than two hands pulling me off of the limp body underneath me. I tried escaping again but they had death grips on my arms making it impossible.

"I swear I will kill you Jesse! I swear you bastard I swear!" I was screaming, so loud that my throat started feeling rough. The man holding me back was whispering soothing words to me and soon I realised it was Dimitri with Alberta helping Jesse. They were my bucket of cold water on the face. I stopped struggling and just leaned into his body to stop myself from falling. Exhaustion became the dominant feeling in my body and I started taking in my surroundings.

Right now, three guardians were carrying away an unconscious and extremely bloody Jesse to the infirmary and several students along with Lissa, Christian and Mason were gathered around to see what had happened. I felt concern through the bond and I turned around to face Lissa's worried eyes. If the situation were different I would have laughed in her face and told her that her eyes would pop out. But now all I could do was stare back in astonishment of what I had done.

Dimitri turned me around and asked me what I had been asking myself the past few minutes.

"Rose…" he hesitated "What happened here?" he asked as he and Alberta looked at me with concern and confusion.

"I- I don't know," I exclaimed in pure shock and tried to hold back traitorous tears seeing as most of the school was here now and I didn't want them to see me weak. No need for more rumors spread about me after they'd just died down. "He just- and I- I- I-" I couldn't form a sentence since my body shook with tearless sobs. I felt an odd sensation between my legs, almost like I peed myself, but Alberta muttered something to Dimitri, who carefully lead me to the infirmary, distracting me from my train of thought. Once there, we sat down on the examination table, Dr. Bryar looking over me anxiously as Dimitri sat beside me and Alberta watched from her spot to the side.

"Now, tell us what happened from the beginning," Alberta said. and I nodded. "Good. Doctor, can you hurry up with her hands?" As she said that, I noticed for the first time the throbbing pain on my hands and looked at them to see the skin worn out. Dr. Bryar knelt in front of me and started cleaning and bandaging my hands. I took that as my cue to start explaining as body continued to shake.

"I was walking back to my room when Jesse grabbed me roughly and started talking to me. Then something snapped in me and I felt such anger… But I didn't hit him. I controlled myself somehow and _just _pinned him to the ground. He didn't stop talking though. I had apparently hit a soft spot because he-" I looked up with a guarded look to see if anyone caught my hesitation. They did.

"He what Rose?" Dimitri asked in an icy tone.

"He called me a blood whore. And then...I think it was spirit darkness. I've been holding it off for so long." The anger in both Alberta's and Dimitri's face was frightening so I continued to take their minds off that. "But then I couldn't hold back anymore. I attacked him and well… you can guess the rest."

By then, I was sobbing. I looked up to see two guardians' faces deep in thought. I also became conscious of the warmth that radiated off of Dimitri's hands to mine. At that moment, a ripping pain emanated from my stomach, causing me to grip Dimitri's hand in a death hold as a scream was torn from my lips.

"Roza?" Dimitri looked at me frantically. "What wrong?!"

I slipped my hand out of his and clutched my stomach, whimpering as the pain ebbed away. "My stomach..."

"Doctor, is there something wrong with the baby?" Dimitri gasped out, looking wild and afraid.

Dr. Bryar opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by another scream from me as the pain hit again.

"Dimitri," I cried out, tears falling from my eyes. "Help. It hurts."

"I believe she is in labor," Dr. Bryar said, already getting ready for the birthing. "Take off her clothes," she commanded Dimitri.

Dimitri nodded without a second thought, and pulled me further up the bed until my head was on the pillow. "Alright, Roza, I'm going to have to take off your pants, so you have to relax for a little bit, alright, sweetheart?" Dimitri smoothed my hair away from my face, looking anxious.

I nodded and carefully relaxed my legs, allowing him to take off my black pants and underwear. My coat, shirt and bra followed, and as soon as they were off, Dr. Bryar was pulling a hospital gown over my head, not allowing my naked body to be visible for more than a second. Another contraction hit, another scream escaped. Dimitri slipped his hand back into mine and stroked my hair soothingly, whispering Russian words into my ear.

Another contraction hit, much sooner than the last.

"They're coming quickly. This will be a quick birth," Dr. Bryar announced, just as another contraction hit on the tail end of the last. "Just a few more and soon you'll be dilated enough to push."

I groaned, the pain getting better of me. And through it all, Dimitri held my hand and soothed me with his voice.

* * *

><p>After three hours of labor, Ivan Dimitri Hathaway-Belikov was finally born on April 18.<p>

Even though he was premature by a little over a month, he was fully formed and almost fully grown. He was a little bit underweight, but after spending the next week in the infirmary under the care of nurses, he was doing perfectly fine. Ivan ate a lot, just like him mommy. Unfortunately, Dimitri had to cancel the trip to see his family, but the slight disappoint was made up by the fact that Ivan was finally with us. By sheer luck, Ivan didn't look anything like his father, his features a masculine copy of mine. His eyes were dark brown, like mine, although shoots of green could be seen in the sunlight. His hair was my color and Adrian's texture. All in all, he was a gorgeous baby, and Dimitri and I couldn't get enough of him.

When we took him home for the first time, neither of us were able to tear ourselves away from him. Ivan was simply so precious. No one knew about the fact that I gave Ivan Dimitri's last name - thank God for patient privacy - but Alberta understood on some level that we were more than mentor and student, more than friends even. We never let on that we were and she never asked, but she was much more lenient on me missing class or Dimitri coming into work late due to staying up with Ivan all night.

Since having Dimitri as my mentor, my grades had gone up in everything, especially academics. Since I wasn't able to participate in field experience, I'd been able to get ahead on my studies, so that after Ivan was born, I focused more on getting back in shape and fighting again rather than English and history. Though I wouldn't be able to guard Lissa once I graduated - I was on maternity leave of a sort - I _would_ be able to graduate and be Lissa's guardian in theory.

Dimitri and I had decided that until I was able to guard Lissa - once Ivan was a little older - he would guard her for me, but then ask to be reassigned to being a Court guardian while I guarded Lissa. It wasn't the ideal situation in the least, but it was the best we could do. This way, we still did what we both loved and be able to be together. We were hoping that Dimitri would get assigned to Christian, but it was a pretty tall order.

I sighed happily as I watched my son sleep. Adrian had stopped by to see him, per my request. I felt that he should see the miracle he helped create. Seeing Adrian hold his biological son with tears in his eyes helped me finally forgive him. I could almost thank him for putting me in this situation, or well, thank Avery, because if it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have all the happiness was I filled with now.

Dimitri was sleeping in the bed behind me and Ivan was sleeping in his crib in front of me. My two men. The two men I loved more than anyone in the entire world. Ivan stirred a bit, letting out a little cry. I picked him up before he could let loose his very large lungs and wake Dmitri, who'd just fallen asleep after a long day of work, and unbuttoned my shirt to allow him to feed. I hummed to him gently, swaying a bit. Once he was done, I burped him, then lay him gently back in his crib; he was already asleep.

"I love you, little Ivan," I whispered, then kissed him on the forehead before getting ready for myself.

I had training in the morning, followed by class, with taking care of Ivan filled throughout the day. My life was hectic and busy, worse than before. But I wouldn't do anything to change it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well...can't say I'm not hurt. Did no one like the last chapter? I had so few reviews... :'(**_

_**People to thank...: my best friend, Kaylee, who got me writing this chapter with threats of death. Georgia D. Rose for sending in a chapter for the story, the scene in which Rose is attacked by Jesse. Everyone who reviewed. Thank you all!**_

_**This is...well, after this, only three more chapters. Maybe. It might be cut down to two. We'll see(:**_

_**Please, please, please review and show me that this big a**, 10 page, 6,000+ word chapter was very worth writing! **_

_**Thank you(:**_

_**xoxoxoxoxo**_

_**-Tatiana**_


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

DPOV:

I held my son as Rose got ready for the Moroi graduation. She'd gone through her trials and graduated with flying colors. Two months after Ivan had been born, I still couldn't believe I had a son.

Ivan was amazing. Yes, he woke me up every night; in fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had a full night's sleep, but I wouldn't change it for anything. At two months old, he was sitting up on his own already. He was growing so fast I was afraid to close my eyes for the fear that when I open them, he'll be all grown up.

Everyone loved Ivan. Rose's mom had come down a week early with her charge, bringing a surprise guest: Abe Mazur, Rose's father. When she first saw Ivan, Janine had instantly become a doting grandmother, a very startling change.

Rose had been so happy to finally meet him, she'd teared up. Of course, she denied it, but I could see how much it meant to her. Though we didn't tell them we were together, Abe had pulled me aside and threatened me within an inch of my life. Needless to say, I was terrified of him now. I knew perfectly well what he was capable of; after all, he was the one to make sure my father never came back.

The last couple of months had been difficult for Rose, her attention divided between her school, fighting, and son, but I couldn't be more proud of her for everything she had accomplished. Since there was no one to watch Ivan while she was in class, at least no one she trusted, she took him with her to her lessons, keeping him in a front carrier or in a stroller by her desk. The novices saw Ivan as one of them as a result of this, and helped Rose any way they could. The Moroi generally avoided her, but the non-royals often stopped by her desk, or by where she would sit, in the rare moments of peace, on the grass by the edge of the woods, just to say hi and ask about Ivan.

It was truly amazing what a baby could do to a person.

Rose sighed, breaking into my thoughts. She was staring at her reflection, her face serious and drawn.

"What's wrong, love?" Even though she had Ivan, Alberta allowed us to stay in the same room at Rose's request. She claimed it would be easier to juggle everything with an extra hand to care for Ivan and Alberta readily agreed.

I stood up and carefully shifted Ivan to one arm, wrapping the other one around her. The full length mirror standing against the wall was a recent addition, courtesy of Lissa. I looked at our reflection, feeling a slight shock. Rose was so much shorter than me, but almost just as built. Her slim figure was back to the way it was before Ivan was born, after hours of physical exercise. Yet through it all, she managed to keep a feminine look about her, a motherly essence in a way. All in all, she was breathtaking.

"Dimitri, what are we going to do?" she asked, her voice small.

I kissed the top of her head and she leaned into me. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to have to find some way to tell Lissa," she pointed out. "All she's been talking about lately is the apartment we'll be moving into together away from any adults. Our friendship is just back to the way it was. How will I break to her the fact that not only am I in love with my mentor, but I'm also moving in with him? And money. Where will we be living? You can't support all three of us on your salary alone, and I won't have a job for a few weeks. I really don't want to take anything from Lissa, it just feels wrong." Rose looked ready to cry.

It had been easy to live off of what I earned while living at the Academy. After all, we didn't have to worry about anything such as housing, heat, electricity or food. Now that we wouldn't be living at the Academy about a week from now, we had to start thinking about these things.

"Rose, we can just move into one of the guardian apartments. We'll get one with two bedrooms, that way Ivan can have his own room. I have money saved up; after all, I was guarding Ivan and he wasn't stingy with his money." I sighed and shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "And...he left me some of his money in his will. I forgot all about it until just now, actually." I sighed again, this one more mournful. Rose wound her arms around me, putting one on Ivan's stomach. I relaxed into her.

"I really don't want to use your savings. That's for when you're old and retired," Rose murmured. "And I feel weird about using Ivan's money. It's the same as Lissa's. It seems...wrong, somehow."

I nodded. "I know. When I was first told, I instantly put it aside, knowing I would never use it. But didn't your dad give you a savings account from when you were a baby?"

Rose nodded against my chest. "Yeah, you're right. I forgot about that. Alright, so we have money, even if we don't want to use it. I never realised how expensive a baby really is," she muttered.

I chuckled. "I knew how expensive they are; I have sisters who have had babies, remember?"

Rose nodded, smiling now. "Yeah. Sorry we weren't able to go visit them." The sad face as back.

I grinned down at her. "I was going to wait until later, but..." I trailed off and extricated myself from her, handing Ivan, who was now sleeping, to her.

She watched me, puzzled, as I rifled through my underwear drawer, looking for the envelope. I finally found it and pulled it out triumphantly.

"Ah ha! Here, your graduation present." I handed it to her, taking Ivan back.

Rose opened it cautiously. After looking inside it for several moments, her eyes widened with realisation. She looked up, excited. "You got three tickets to Russia? We're really going to see your family?" she exclaimed.

I grinned. "Yes, we are. For a week, a week after graduation."

"Oh, Dimitri!" She threw herself into my arms, mindful of Ivan. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried out, hurting my eardrums.

I laughed. "You're welcome, honey." I bent my head to kiss her.

Almost instantly, she deepened the kiss, making me almost forget the fact that I had a two month old baby in my arm.

I pulled away reluctantly, breathing labored. "Roza, I still have Ivan," I panted.

Rose groaned into my neck. "Put him in his crib, Comrade." I maneuvered myself so that Rose's arms were still around me, but she was behind me, and put Ivan into his crib carefully. I bent down and pressed a kiss on his forehead before tucking the blanket more securely around him. Rose moved around to my front again and leaned down to kiss him too.

"Now it's Mommy's turn for some loving," she joked, turned to kiss me again.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up. Rose wrapped her legs around my waist, clinging. Though I knew we couldn't do anything more than kiss with Ivan still in the room, I never wanted to stop.

Pressing her against the wall, I let my hands wander under her shirt. I still wasn't completely used to not feeling her round stomach as we kissed, but it meant that I could be a little bit more rough than I would have been able to if Ivan was still in her womb.

Rose moaned as I kissed down her neck. "I can't wait to have our own room in our own apartment," she groaned, threading her hands through my hair to keep it attached to her.

I kissed down the open v of her shirt, kissing every inch of skin visible. I couldn't agree more. I'd wanted to wait to make love to her until she was eighteen and graduated, but after Ivan was born, we had almost no to time to even kiss, causing the sexual tension between us to sky rocket. At least before, we could give each other some kind of release; the first time we thought it would be okay to do something with Ivan in the room (read: we briefly forgot Ivan was in the room), we'd woken him up with our noise and couldn't get him to sleep for three hours. Two hours of screaming had traumatized us enough to never try it again.

I lifted my head to kiss her again, feeling myself become aroused as she ran her hands over my chest beneath my shirt.

I loved her, loved her more than anyone on the entire planet, even more than Ivan. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much, but my heart seemed to swell with sweet emotion. Our kiss went from passionate to incredibly sweet and loving, breaking the mood. After several long moments, we finally pulled away only to gaze into each others eyes. I could see the love and happiness and excitement in Rose's eyes. I'm sure mine reflected the same.

A knock on the door interrupted our moment. I set Rose down, she glaring at the door the whole time.

Opening it, I was faced with Lissa. "Yes?" I said, my guardian mask firmly in place. I was still a bit cold toward her, no matter how much Rose forgave her.

"Is Rose ready?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm good, Liss," rose called from within the room.

I glanced back to see her fixing her hair since I'd just messed it up. Which begged the question: what did my hair look like?

Apparently, very funny, because Rose turned around, took one look at me and burst out laughing. "Fix your hair, Comrade," she said between giggles, her eyes shining.

I rolled my eyes, But stepped back into the room and brushed it out. "Better?" I asked sarcastically.

Rose nodded, still grinning smugly. "You're going to take Ivan, right?"

I nodded. "You better hurry down there," I warned. "The ceremony will start shortly."

Rose nodded and leaned down to give Ivan one last kiss before giving me a hug and kiss on the lips.

We heard a gasp in the doorway. Both of us spun around, having forgotten Lissa was still in the doorway. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"W-what?"

Rose sighed wearily. "Liss, as much as I don't want to do this right now, we can't anyway because we need to get down there and graduate. Now, let's go. I didn't totally rock the trials just to be late for my own graduation." Rose walked out of the room, grabbing Lissa firmly by the elbow.

I ran a hand through my just fixed hair. This was a mess.

* * *

><p>The Moroi sat in seats as Headmistress Kirova called out names for students to come up and get their diplomas. I held Ivan in my arms as I sat next to Rose. We stayed long enough to watch Lissa get her diploma before leaving because the noise bothered Ivan. Janine and Abe followed us out.<p>

"So, Rose," Janine began conversationally. "When were you going to tell us that you and Guardian Belikov were together?"

Both of us froze midstep, exchanging panicked looks.

"Um, what?" Rose asked, her voice high pitched.

Janine smiled at her. "We're not stupid, you know," she said, amused. "A blind man can see how much in love you two are, and you're holding hands."

I glanced down, shocked, as I saw that Janine was right; we were holding hands.

Rose went on the defense. "So what if we are?" she challenged. "I'm eighteen and graduated, so you can't do anything about it." She set her jaw stubbornly.

Janine laughed. "Oh, Rose, I wasn't planning on it. I know Belikov is a good man and I, like I said, I can tell you two are in love. Besides, I would never separate Ivan from his father."

A warm feeling grew in my chest at Janine's words. "Thank you," I said gratefully.

"But know this, Belikov," Janine pointed a threatening finger at me. "If you hurt either my child or my grandchild, I will hunt you down and kill you. Then hide your corpse."

I gulped, knowing she wasn't joking. She was dead serious.

Abe smiled pleasantly. "You already know my thoughts on the matter," he said, a shark like look in his eyes.

I nodded, feeling myself pale at the memory.

"Would you guys leave my boyfriend alone?" Rose snapped, but her face was glowing with happiness. She squeezed my hand, grinning up at me.

"Alright, Rose, alright," Janine said, smiling up at her daughter. "So long as he knows the consequences, we'll be fine."

Rose smiled at her mom. "Thanks, Mom." She glanced at Abe. "Dad."

"So how about a nice family dinner?" Abe suggested.

"Wasn't the party enough?" Rose asked skeptically. Abe had thrown her an awesome graduation party, inviting the entire senior class and half of the juniors.

"That was for you and your friends," Abe explained. "This will be just for the family."

Rose nodded in understanding. "Then can we invite Lissa and Christian, too?" she asked.

Abe frowned, but Janine nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not. They're part of the family too."

Rose nodded. "Then I'm going to go find them. Where would you like to meet?" She was so polite, so unlike herself. I frowned.

"Oh, say, seven, in my room?" Abe decided.

"Alright, see you then." Rose smiled at her parents, then dragged me away.

"Wait, Rose!" Janine called us back.

We walked back. "Yes?" Rose looked at her mom questioningly.

Janine looked at her shyly. "Could I, I mean, could we, um, spend some time with Ivan?"

Rose looked at her, surprised. "Oh, um, sure, I don't see why not?" She looked up at me, the question clear in her eyes.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," I agreed, handing Ivan and his diaper bag to Janine carefully.

Rose gave Janine specific instructions on when to feed him, then we were on our way once more.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To talk to Lissa," she sighed.

"Oh, right," I mumbled, forgetting for a moment that she knew about us.

The Moroi graduation was over, most of the kids' parents took them away. The novices would be flown to Court tomorrow.

Lissa was easy to spot where she was standing, arm in arm with Christian, talking to Tasha. A wide space was made around them.

"Hey, Lissa, can I talk to you?" Rose called.

We had released our hands as soon as we were around the general population.

"Yeah sure." She excused herself from Christian and Tasha and came over to us. "So...?"

Rose sighed. "I'm sorry I kept it from you, but could never find the right time or the right words to tell you about it, then we weren't talking and everything, and-"

Rose," I stopped her gently. "You're rambling."

"I am, aren't?" she muttered, blushing.

I smiled down at her. "Just a bit."

"Well, anyway, Dimitri and I fell in love. Ivan is his son. Um, we're going to Russia to visit his family in a week, and we're going to be moving into an apartment at Court." She paused and thought for a moment. "Is that all?" She glanced at me.

I ran through everything in my mind and nodded. "Yeah, seems about right. Except for the guardian change."

Rose nodded. "Oh, right. Yeah, once Ivan is old enough, I'm going to take my place as your guardian officially, and Dimitri is going to be reassigned to Court, or maybe even Christian," Rose tacked on, facing Lissa once more.

Lissa was clearly shocked. "Um..." she trailed off, speechless. "How-I mean, what - uh, how, how long have you two been together?" she finally asked.

Rose and I exchanged a look. "I'm not sure," I answered. "I don't think there's an exact point where we decided to be together. It just...kind of happened. Since before Janine and Ivan visited."

Rose nodded.

Lissa's were so wide, I thought they would fall out. "I think, um..." she trailed off again and looked at Rose meaningfully.

Rose sighed and glanced at me. "We're gonna go talk, Comrade. Why don't you start packing?"

I nodded. "Alright. Meet me in our room, okay?" I kissed her cheek and she smiled at me.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Once I reached our room, I began the menial task of packing. Since Rose had moved into this room, I simply had to repack her stuff. However, I had to organize and go through everything I owned.<p>

It was going on three when Rose finally returned. By that time, I had packed nearly everything, Ivan's stuff all that was out.

"Oh, wow, you're almost done," Rose said, surprised.

I grinned up at her from my spot on the floor. "It's amazing what one can do while not distracted by a gorgeous woman," I teased.

Rose grinned back. "Oh, you love it when I distract you," she teased right back.

It occurred to both of us at the same time that we were truly alone for the first time in months. We moved toward each other, meeting in the middle of the room with a kiss.

It was like someone lit a bonfire. Passion crackled between us and I knew neither of us would be leaving the room for quite sometime.

I backed her against the door, just long enough to lock it, unwilling to release the kiss.

Once the door was locked, I backed up, pulling her with me, to the bed. As I fell back, taking her with me, I could see in her eyes that she was more than ready to finally take this step. Not a single trace of nervousness or uncertain was seen in her eyes.

"I love you, Roza, so much," I whispered and crashed our lips together once more.

"I love you too, Comrade," she whispered back.

Those were the last words either of us said for a long time.

* * *

><p>AN: I just want to say that...Dimkaisshmexy24...you are...wow. I think I love you. Not to sound weird or anything...Thank you so much for reviewing every single one of my chapter and staying up so late to do it. You really made my day. You literally made me cry, but the good kind of crying. As I'm writing this, I am smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. You're amazing, you really are. Thank you so much. Word cannot express how thankful I am(: There was nothing wrong with the reviews, trust me :D

Okay, I should probably add more to the chapter, but I really don't want to! It's perfect just the way it is :D I'll put the dinner scene in the next chapter. And after that...the epilogue...and it's over :'(

Thank you all for your reviews! They make me smile :D Make sure you leave a review for this chapter!


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or the song Never Too Late by Three Days Grace.

RPOV:

I nervously smoothed down my shirt as we stood in front of the door of the Belikov house. It had been a week since I had officially become a guardian. After the family dinner, we'd gone to bed and the next morning flew to Court. After figuring out housing - Dimitri and I got a two bedroom apartment in the guardian housing - we'd moved in just in time to pack to go to Russia.

My mind wandered to the family dinner we had as Dimitri knocked on the door.

_ After Dimitri and I finally pulled ourselves away from each other - and away from the bed - we took a quick shower together. The shower almost turned into a repeat of what we'd just done in bed, only the thought of being late to dinner keeping us in check. Even then we were rushing to get dressed._

"_You know, I wonder if your mom had any idea of what we'd do if she took Ivan," Dimitri mused, pulling on his shirt. _

_I looked at him with horror. "God, I hope not! That's mortifying!" I exclaimed._

_Dimitri chuckled and hugged me. "She probably felt the tension between us, Roza. It's not exactly subtle." His kissed the side of my head. _

_I shuddered at the thought of my mom knowing I had sex with Dimitri. _

"_Rose, it's alright," he assured me._

_I turned to him, glaring. "Yeah? How would you feel if your mom knew you had sex?" I snapped._

_Dimitri gave me a look of amusement. "Roza, my mom _does _know I've had sex. There's nothing wrong with it." _

_I frowned. I tried not to think of all the other girls who had Dimitri before me. I knew there were several; no way could he have become that skilled and experienced through one girl. I shook my head._

"_Whatever," I muttered. "Let's go." _

_On the way to Abe's guest room, we swung by the Moroi dorms to get Lissa. Christian, naturally, tagged along. _

_Since most people were gone from the school, and I was graduated, Dimitri and I held hands openly._

"_So, Rosie, when were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?" Christian asked._

_I jumped a little, startled. "Um, oh, I forgot you didn't know," I muttered. _

_Lissa explained the situation to him, sensing I was too impatient to. _

_Once we reached guest housing, I hurried up the steps, anxious to see my son. Dimitri seemed to be thinking the same things, because he stayed by my side the entire time. _

_We reached the door and I knocked impatiently. _

_Mom opened the door with Ivan in her arms._

"_Thank you," I said primly, plucking him out of her arms. "Hello my little man, how are you?" Ivan smiled up at me, gurgling cutely, happy to see me. "Aw, Mommy missed you too." I kissed both of his cheeks. _

"_Hey, little Ivan," Dimitri said sweetly, swooping down to kiss him too. "Daddy missed you too. Did you have fun with your grandma?"_

"_Um, guys, maybe you should take this inside?" Lissa said uncertainly, coming up behind us._

"_Mmhmm," I replied absentmindedly, cuddling my son close to my chest. _

_We walked through the door and into the general living area. Dimitri and I stood to the side, still saying hi to our son. Dimitri wrapped his arms around both of us, pulling us into his chest. _

"_I'll be totally honest here, as much as this scene is really cute, it seriously disturbs me," Christian commented._

_I rolled my eyes and ignored him. _

"_Dinner's ready!" Mom called from the kitchen area._

_We converged around the table. _

"_Oh, Ivan doesn't have a place to go," I said, frowning._

"_I'll hold him while you eat," Dimitri offered. "I know how hungry you are."_

_It was a perfectly normal statement, no innuendo to be heard, but Christian cracked up laughing. _

"_Gee, I wonder what you did to work up an appetite," he sniggered._

_I felt myself blush._

_Lissa gasped. "You didn't!"_

_My blush deepened. I wanted to bury my face in my hands, but couldn't since I was still holding Ivan._

"_Please, I really don't want to hear about my daughter's sex life during dinner," Mom said casually._

"_Mom!" I cried out. _

_Mom looked at me innocently. "What? I don't want to hear about what you and Dimitri do in your private moments."_

_I hoped the floor would open up and eat me whole. _

Oh, come on, Rose, she's just teasing. Why are you freaking out about it? You're Rose Hathaway. Innuendos are your second language, _Lissa said to me through the bond. _

_They were but ever since I had Ivan, I found myself unable to talk about my private life. Yes, I could joke about sex in general, but bring the conversation to my own sex life and I was on fire with embarrassment. _

_I shook my head. "Can we just stop?" I pleaded._

_Dimitri took my hand under the table, squeezing it comfortingly. _

"_Sorry, Rose," Mom said sheepishly. "There's nothing wrong with it." Why wouldn't she stop? "I mean, clearly-"_

"_Alright, alright!" I cried out. "Enough! My private life is my private life. It's between Dimitri and I, and will stay that way."_

_There was an awkward silence after my outburst. Everyone began eating for lack of anything else to do. Dimitri carefully took Ivan out of my arms. _

"_Eat, Roza," he murmured. _

_I picked at my food halfheartedly. I knew I should eat, but the conversation made me lose my appetite. _

"_Rose," Dimitri said warningly._

_I sighed and ate my food quickly, knowing he hated when I skipped a meal; it reminded him of the month from hell. _

_Once I finished my dinner in silence - my parent and Lissa and Christian had started up a conversation - I took Ivan from Dimitri to give him a chance to eat as well. Ivan began fussing, so I stepped out of the room to feed him. _

_I stayed in the bedroom, holding Ivan for a few extra minutes. Getting ahold of myself, I walked back to the table, feeling better._

"_Sorry about earlier," I said quietly._

_Everyone waved off my apologies, and dinner became more normal._

I was pulled out of my memories by the door opening.

A woman who appeared to be in her late forties stood in the doorway.

"Dimka?"

"Hi, Mama," Dimitri replied, smiling.

"Dimka!"

Dimitri swiftly handed me Ivan; just in time too, as Dimitri's mother, Olena, threw herself into his arms.

They began talking rapidly in Russian for several minutes, until Olena realised we were standing outside. She pulled Dmitri in, and he pulled me with him.

Once we were inside, Dimitri was once again bombarded by hugs. Female voices filled the room, and I stood by the door, watching the heartwarming scene.

Dimitri looked so happy and carefree, talking animatedly with his sisters and mother. Another piece of him that had been missing fell into place, and I was confident that he was now happier than he had ever been in his entire life. I was sure that if Ivan was here, he'd be happier, but without him, this was the happiest Dimitri would get.

I was content just watching him, but Fate had other ideas.

An old woman appeared beside me, scaring the crap out of me.

"You are his flower," she said in a low, gravelly voice.

Her face was filled with wrinkles and she was shorter than me, looking like a feather could knock her over. Her eyes glitter with knowledge and life, however.

"I, um, what?" I asked.

"You are Dimka's flower, his Roza," the woman said.

I nodded slowly. "I supposed that yes, yes I am his flower." Huh. I'd never thought of it that way.

"You make him very happy," the woman stated.

I nodded, smiling gently as I looked at him. "Ivan and I both do."

"Yes. Your son is a gift to him, as are you."

"Thank you," I murmured.

The old woman nodded and pushed her way into the circle of family surrounding Dimitri.

After hugging him, she said something in Russian. All I understood was 'Roza.'

Dimitri spun around to face me, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, Roza," he mumbled guiltily.

I smiled. "It's alright, Comrade. I understand."

Dimitri grinned and wrapped his arm around me waist.

"Everyone, this is Roza and our son, Ivan."

The family welcomed both Ivan and I with open arms. Never before had I been around so much love. The week we spent with the Belikovs was one of the happiest I'd had in my entire life. I cried when we had to go back, but I knew we would visit them again soon.

At Court, Dimitri and I finally got to be a true family, one that didn't have to hide. We didn't have any financial issues, thanks to our friends and family. As taking money was uncomfortable for both of us, we did our best with what we had. It was by no means a fortune, but enough for the three of us.

Our relationship stirred trouble at Court and in the Moroi world in general, but since no one could prove anything had gone on while we were at the Academy, people could do nothing more than grumble about it. We ignored them and moved on with our lives.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, or next week, or next year, but I knew I could take on anything with Dimitri by my side. When we first met, I thought my life was over and it was much too late to pick the pieces up. Dimitri showed me that it was not too late, it's never too late.

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><p><em>Well...this is it. Okay, lie, there's still an epilogue. But this is the last chapter chapter. I'll be perfectly honest, I started crying once I finished this chapter. It's been so long...this is my first fanfiction and now...now it's over. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Thank you to those who reviewed every chapter, and to those who reviewed only one. Each one made it worth writing this story. Your encouragement gave me the courage and desire to see this through. Thank you, thank you so much.<em>

Xoxoxoxoxo

-Tatiana


	32. Epilogue

_10 years later_

I stood against the gym wall, watching Dimitri train Ivan. We were at Court and it was the summer holidays. Dimitri told Ivan to do something and set him loose, coming over to me.

I pushed myself off the wall and Dimitri wrapped his arms around me, hands resting on my five months pregnant stomach.

"I can't wait until this one is out," he murmured, kissing down my neck.

"Mm, neither can I," I mumbled. I was already tired of the swelled feet and cravings.

I thought back to when Dimitri and I decided to to have another child and the awkward conversation we had with Adrian about it.

_We stood outside Adrian's door, nervously waiting for him to open it._

"_Little dhampir, Belikov? What can I do for you this fine afternoon?" he asked when saw us._

"_Um, can we come in?" I asked in a small voice, not wanting witnesses to this conversation._

_Adrian nodded, confused, and let us through._

"_So, what brings you to my humble abode?" he asked, sitting in a chair and gesturing for us to sit on the couch across._

"_We're..." I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the question. Dimitri took over._

"_Roza and I would like another child," he began, his deep voice rumbling. "And as we are unable to have one together, we were hoping that, ah, you would..." he trailed off, giving Adrian a meaningful look._

_Adrian looked confused for a second before the realisation hit him. "You want me to get her pregnant?" he asked in disbelief._

"_Well, not quite like that," I shifted uncomfortably. "We were hoping more like, uh, artificial insemination." I cleared my throat awkwardly._

_Adrian looked confused. _

"_Turkey baster method," I clarified._

_Adrian nodded in understanding. "Sure. Ah, how would we...?" he trailed off. _

"_Doctor," Dimitri replied. "We can set up an appointment for tomorrow...?"_

_Adrian nodded. "Sure." _

_There was an awkward silence. I stood up, my hands shaking slightly. I'd been so sure he would say no, the relief was a physical euphoria. Dimitri and I had talked extensively about it, and I could see he was excited and eager for another child, as was I. Ivan was now ten years old and in school, leaving the house oddly quiet during school months. _

"_Thank you, Adrian," I whispered into his ear, hugging him._

_Adrian hugged me back. "Nothing to thank me for," he said gruffly. "When I promised you anything, I meant _anything_." _

_A week later, I was officially pregnant. _

I twined my hands through Dimitri's. He lifted my left hand up, kissing the promise ring that was on it. We weren't married, and decided against it. It wasn't practical and there wasn't enough time. We loved each other and knew there was no one else. What more could a piece of paper do? We'd been together so long, everyone called me Guardian Belikova instead of Hathaway, figuring we were as good as married.

The last ten years had been eventful. Lissa got married and had three children, allowing her to be on the council. Later, we found out that Jill was her sister. Now she was being trained by Queen Tatiana to be the next Queen. Eddie ended up falling for Jill; they were going to be married at the end of summer.

Mason's charge was adventurous and traveling the world, so we saw him briefly, but still we stayed in contact. We became friends once more shortly after moving to Court. He was Ivan's favorite uncle, who told wonderful stories.

We visited the Belikovs at least once every year, and Ivan knew his family on his father's side very well.

My parents became friends and I suspected even more, but they hadn't announced anything yet.

And through the last ten years, Dimitri was still by my side through everything.

Ivan finished his exercise and Dimitri walked back to him with one last kiss on my cheek.

I watched as my two favorite men trained together, drawing slow circles on my stomach.

Life was good.

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><p>I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but...eh. Thank you everyone for your reviews! You're all amazing! And, though I'm not giving any definites I might mange to maybe write a couple of outtakes. I want to lessen my writing load first, though. Maybe if there's a competition of something of the sort going on, I might. Right now, though, I'll let this sit a bit(: After I finish Unspeakable Love, Until the End, and the two other stories I'm writing but haven't posted yet, then I'll come back to this. Until then...thank you and good bye!<p>

Xoxoxoxo

-Tatiana

Edit: Oops, I put IVF as the turkey baster method ..after some thought, I realised I was wrong and messing it up in my mind. I'm surprised no one caught it! Sorry!


	33. To Guest Reviewer xdfvkm, kdlfjkl, wekl

Okay, so, I understand that it's been a while since I've posted anything, and I'm sorry for that. School and life have taken over. I'll get to it eventually, promise.

However, that's not why I'm posting this.

To the lovely guest who can't speak a sentence without swearing...Have you ever been raped, assaulted, or hurt in any way shape or form? No? Didn't think so. You don't just get over something like that. You're emotionally damaged. And yes, the fear of men is legitimate. Not wanting to be touched is legitimate. As for her random mood swings, this isn't exactly a normal pregnancy. And the only reason they started to practice was because she wanted to avoid her mom. If you read the chapter completely, you would see that they didn't really practice but were laughing and joking once she left. As for that scene not being funny...you've clearly never been in a similar situation, because if you had, you would know that it's very funny. And as for her having the baby...You might be okay with abortion for no real reason, but I'm not comfortable with that and I didn't see Rose as a character doing that. I'm so sorry it conflicts with your ideas.

And why would Dimitri want her? Seriously? Have you even read the series? The only difference between my story and the original is the fact that she's pregnant.

If you haven't noticed, I have this section of Chapter 15 where it's Dimitri's pov, where he clearly states that he cares for Rose and actually refers to the baby as his. Not to mention, he treats Rose with special care, giving her attention and taking care of her and the baby like he's the father. If that's not an indication that he cares for her as more than just a friend, then I don't know what is. Besides, it slipped out. Much like Dimitri referring to the baby as his in his own head, it's something Rose wished. Obviously, she was too excited to filter her words and besides, when has Rose ever filtered her words? As for taking Tasha's offer, he clearly stated that the only reason he would take it would be to make sure Rose gets the education she needs and to keep Lissa safe, not for any other reason.

You need to start reading more carefully, because all those questions you had were answered.


End file.
